Friday, October 6, 2017

Breakfast for my father-in-law

This chief executive blogger apologizes for the drought of new middle-aged man reflections here at Pierini Fitness.  It’s been over a week since something was added.  There’s a reason.

Last Friday on my day off, my wife and I were enjoying a cup of coffee out and about when she suddenly received a telephone call that her 89-year-young father had fallen.  We abruptly ended our morning cup to visit him and assess his condition which told us that, despite his insistence that all was OK, he needed to go to the hospital emergency room.

About five hours later, the three of us left with his forehead freshly stitched and a splint on his left arm because his fall left him with a broken bone near his wrist.

This event was the last straw breaking the camel’s back that my wife and I had been waiting for knowing it’s day of reckoning was imminent.  His days of living along had come to an end.

Since then, he’s been residing with us.  The experience thus far has given this middle-aged man countless observations and new pondering opportunities providing clues of may lie ahead for him in another 25 years, God willing.  And, a lot of activity giving him a helping hand or two along with cooking an early morning breakfast for him because he has an early-bird appetite.

These observations include watching an elderly and frail old man struggle to get up from a seated position, walking very wobbly, eating like a bird with his small appetite, and sleeping for durations and with intensity that would make Rip Van Winkle envious.

Tick, tock, tick tock, my middle-aged man clock goes in my mind’s eye while pondering what it’ll be like when my turn arrives, God willing.  There are so many lessons to be learned and I’m taking notes.

Despite this sudden change in our lives, I’m enjoying it all and consider it a blessing that I’ve got the flexibility and culinary prowess of making breakfast for my father-in-law.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum

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