Tuesday 15 March 2022

Thursday, March 10, 2022

Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto

Waiting

In preparation for next Monday’s knee operation, I ended up spending seven hours in this medical facility. I sat down in the waiting area like a good patient, when an elderly fellow, up for some body-part replacement, welcomed himself in the chair two over from me. He started talking, or questioning, about maturing years.

“So, are these the golden years?” I asked.

“I guess from the point of wisdom, yes.”

“Physically though, I don’t have the same agility as when young. Wouldn’t it be nice if both wisdom and strength ran together as one?” I suggested.

“I believe it was Mark Twain who said something about starting backwards if he could. In other words, start life being smart and then reverse to youthhood. I believe Brad Pitt was in a movie along that storyline.” The gentleman said his thoughtful bit. Then it was time for me to meet the first of six interviews.

On my fifth or sixth jump in the hospital, I was waiting for the x-ray person and, during that time, a young person sat next to me. He was tall and was on crutches. We started talking. I asked him, “Did sports do that to you?”

“Yeah!”

“Was it soccer?” I further inquired, but he shook his head.

“Hockey!”

“Of course. I should have known. You must be an all-around Canadian boy. You look it.” I kept on. “Are you from Toronto?”

“No. Brampton,” he said.

“You’re kidding. The town of Alexander Graham Bell, the telephone inventor. Also, the home of Wayne Gretzky, the hockey phenomenon. You even look like him.”

“No relation, but I wish.”

One of the longer waits was in a room where I was trying to be patient for the social worker’s arrival. To let medical workers know that I’m still there I played Rachmaninoff, Concerto 2 from my phone while chanting japa over that.

May the Source be with you!

6 km


 

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