About old age and falling sick

Have been travelling to-fro ICU for the past week. P's dad was admitted since last week. His condition is bad, but not beyond non-mangeable. He's conscious, but drifts in and out of his own world. Spent some hours with him again yesterday and felt my heart wrenched. Yesterday was a day that he seemed the most conscious, which probably also explains why it was the most painful to watch. He felt the pain on his left thigh, where a new tube was inserted for his bi-weekly dialysis. The existing one on his right arm could not be used as the blood vessels were broken. To prevent him from bending his knees and dislocating the tube, his leg was tied to the bed frame. We talked and on-off, he repeated questions. Some moments we seemed to be on the same page. In a split second, he would suddenly talk/ask about something else with totally no relevance. Frankly, I was not sure if he was with us. As he now gains physically strength and is recovering from the major spastic attack he had last week, it becomes apparent that his mental health may never return to the former state.

Ageing is truly painful, with or without wealth. Someday somewhere, we all end up on our deathbed. But FIL is fortunate to have led a good life and be surrounded by people who care. He has it all.

Life is really too short for us to be living in the past. Every moment counts. The life that is the most blessed is probably the one that you have lived to the fullest.