This may or may not have any impact here in the pit but I'm gonna post it anyway. How you spend your time, the positive & negative energy you put into the world and how you will be remembered when you're gone are all connected. I urge each of you to stop, take a moment to write a letter and stick it in your wallet.
Ron got up one morning, was walking across his living room, suffered a stroke, dropped to the floor and crapped himself. He was alone at the time. Nobody knows for certain how long he laid there before being discovered but it was likely longer than the few hours you have for treatment. For weeks Ron was in the hospital, eyes open but unable to speak or move. I swear when I looked into his eyes I saw he was still in there but all efforts to communicate failed. I tried to get him to blink or squeeze my hand...anything to show he was aware of the world around him.
He had hoses and tubes everywhere (literally), It was upsetting to see him this way...unable to do anything. If he did know what was happening to him, it must have been awful.
After nearly 4 weeks the family signed the documents and his plug was pulled. He lasted less than 40 minutes after this was done. I held his hand and told him what was happening and for him to place his hand in God's hand. My wife was the only other person with me there that night.
None of us can ever know what Ron experienced but I maintain that some part of him was present...I saw it in his pleading eyes. The sense of helplessness was overwhelming.
So consider drafting a final goodbye letter to your loved ones so...if fate hits you hard one day, you can say what needs to be said in absentia and perhaps share your wishes if you are unable to speak...so your family isn't placed in this impossible situation. Ron was fine, walking from one room to another without a care in the world when he was struck down. None of knows when our time will come or how we might go but you'll feel a bit better knowing your farewell is in your wallet. I do.
Back to work now. I miss you Ron.