A Cause for Concern

Despite the conflict playing itself out on the Israeli-Lebanon border, we mostly go about our days with prosaic, if perhaps somewhat subdued, typicality. Life goes on...and unless one is directly involved in the conflict -- whether by geography, politics, religion or due to family/friends' involvement therein -- most of us pretty much continue on the same paths that we observed before this hit the fan. It's been going on in one form or another for the past two thousand years, so this newest chapter in what seemingly is a never-ending saga isn't going to keep many heads turned.

Amid this backdrop, I've been quietly keeping tabs on a friend of mine who has been in the hospital now for awhile. I'm not sure of all the details, and since she lives (and has been infirmed) in Michigan, it's hard to get all the facts straight. Suffice to say that she had some sort of infection -- strep throat, I believe -- that went untreated, then turned into bronchitis; coupled with the original infection, it developed into a high fever that landed her in the hospital. Since that point, they managed to treat (and eliminate) the strep infection, but she's since contracted pneumonia, and she's been sedated. On top of that, because of the extreme nature of the sedation, she's been receiving everything -- nutrients, meds, fluids -- exclusively through an IV.

I'm not sure what point her illness has reached, but her family and her doctors were concerned she wouldn't make it through this. It's looking better now, but until she's out of the woods -- and the hospital, or at least her sedation -- nothing's for sure. I don't normally make -- nor pay much attention to -- appeals for good thoughts or karma, but in this case I hope that anyone coming across this keeps their fingers crossed on her behalf. I have faith she'll pull through, but between the distance and the fact that I haven't spoken to her in awhile keeps nagging away at me in the back of my consciousness, and I know how difficult it is watching someone recuperating while sedated in a hospital bed. It's not a pretty sight, and it's an experience most of us would choose not to have to endure; but the other option, watching someone not recuperate from a long illness, is certainly far less preferable, and I am hoping and praying that "option" is no longer a realistic, viable possibility.

Just Open Your Eyes and See
Unknown

As you're walking outside,
Or just passing by,
You should take in the sights to see.

If you're out in the country,
And not in a hurry,
Take a small look around to see:

A spider's web,
Sparkling with dew,
Or a butterfly just opening its wings.

When walking through town,
Look down at your feet,
To see all the colorful leaves.

So stop while you're walking
And take in the sights.
Just open your eyes and see.