Life In the Slow Lane

I still have one friend left from my ancient past. We have been friends since the 1940’s era. We went to school together. We are the same age, 80ish. She has lost most of her family, her only son, brothers and husband have passed on. She has two adult grandchildren left. She lives in my home state of Oklahoma. We still exchange snail mail. She is now in a nursing home because she is unable to walk. Her last letter said she had not heard from any of her family in over a year. The daughter-in-law and grand children live in another state and I’m sure they don’t realize how lonely she is. She has a tiny room, which she shares with another lady. She doesn’t have much to write about. On Sundays they sometimes fail to make her bed because they have a small staff on duty. An aide is supposed to walk with her each day to strengthen her legs so she might be able to walk again. Sometimes the aide just doesn’t have the time. She looks forward to the walks and is disappointed when they don’t help her. Meals are something else. The menu said a grilled burger on a bun. She got a boiled wiener on a bun. Little disappointments are huge when your world has gotten so small.
When we come into this world everybody loves us and can’t give us enough attention. The tables sort of get turned around. Isn’t that odd?

The following is a quote.

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about the one's who don't. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it."