BE CAREFUL; THEY MIGHT FIND SOMETHING [T, 9-12-22]

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on Faith & Life for the Years of Winter—BE CAREFUL; THEY MIGHT FIND SOMETHING [T, 9-12-22]

 

We have known several old people through the years who refused to see the doctor because they might find something.

When we were younger, we said, How silly. Isn’t that the point? You go see the doctor in case there is something to find. Then it can be treated.

That’s fine, when you are a young person, like 25, or 45, or 75. Especially if you catch it early, and get it treated, that’s a good thing, isn’t it? Well, yes, mostly.

But I remember what Polly, my physical therapist, said about her father when he went to the doctor and they said, You have cancer. He’s at that awkward age, she said. 86.

There are several awkward ages along the way. The first is 12. The last, apparently, is 86. I’m at that awkward age. No, not 12.

Polly went on to say that her father was in generally good shape. He could still drive. He had a new wife. He liked going out for meals and events. But if he did a year of chemotherapy, or even just a few months, how much time would that get him on the other side of 86? What quality of life would he have? Could he still drive? Could he still take his wife places? Decisions are difficult at that awkward age, whichever age it may be, because of what can transpire, or not, after.

 

The one accurate thing that social philosopher Garrett Hardin said is, You cannot do one thing. Because the thing you do always causes something else to happen.

I’ve always resisted doing things, anything, because of what would follow. Like recently I resisted taking down the curtains on the window behind the TV, and washing them and the venetian blinds there, because I felt there was too much possibility of something going wrong with the TV when it got moved. Sure enough, even after telephone consultations with Experience Technology, our TV people, we had to get Alex to come out in person to get the TV sorted out. [He didn’t charge us. We bought the TV from them, and, also, he knows we are at that awkward age.] But if everybody in our house could just learn to accept that life is a little dirty sometimes, we wouldn’t have these problems.

My advice for whatever awkward age you might be in: Be careful; they might find something.

John Robert McFarland