No, I don’t mean the Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde lives. I grant my readers that I do know some of that type too but, I mean the lives that Confucius talks about.
My second life started, strangely enough in an ICU ward of a hospital here in Pune in February, 2001. I had undergone revision to a revised hip joint and the trauma almost killed me on the surgeon’s table. I was in the ICU for a week and subsequently in the private room for another week before I could get back home whereas, I was released from the hospital after the earlier revision, in just one week’s time.
Those two weeks on a hospital bed, gave me a great deal of time to think about my mortality and how ephemeral my life really is. That the period coincided with my retirement from active career pursuits made it easier for me to stop chasing rainbows and spend quality time with my family and friends. That it also coincided with my care giving duties for my late wife made it all the more imperative that I made the best use of the time given with her.
A bit of why-me-itis did follow when my late father moved in with me to spend his last days but though that was an unpleasant situation, I still did not go back to pursuits other than those that gave me joy. I continue to live like that and am helped in that way of life by very understanding family and friends who have seen me before and after and prefer the latter.
I am indebted to Ekoshapu for inspiring me to write this post. Please take a bow Sir! And, just to inspire you in return, here is something to mull over.
