Teach your Children

I will admit to the difficulty of staying on point. I wish I was better at it, correspondingly wishing as well that I had the discipline to separate 'my issues' from 'ours'. Specifically, today I am referring to my current issues, the ones that enter this precious space without a knock and proceed to dominate the conversation. They cannot be ignored for the room is too small and the elephants too big.

I am in A-Fib again. This has been happening with way too much frequency of late. Now it seems that high intensity workouts trigger episodes. And while disconcerting, uncomfortable and a touch frightening, the anticoagulation meds (warfarin) seem to be keeping me from the real killer, stroke. I have even developed a routine for self-treatment. For our public service announcement of the day I will share it with you. If you are white, over 60 and have a family history of heart irregularities, listen up.

• 1) Make sure hydration is topped off. I take EnergencC electrolytes with 16 oz. of water.
• 2) Make sure protein is present in diet. Think green.
• 3) Create a safe, quiet, warm and comfortable space to lay down. Then count breaths. Then take a nap. Then quietly give thanks for having the opportunity to practice magic and medicine without a permit, license or union.

In extreme cases, I lengthen the nap time. Do not be perturbed if occasionally this means overnight.

The other personal issue is Dad. We had to pull him out of the bar again last night, with the help of paramedics, and escort his drunk Irish ass to bed. Poor guy is simply bored. He has nothing to do but watch Faux News all day (which would make me drink as well). I feel sorry for him and want to do more to assist, but other than a once a day visit to cook, clean and manage his meds, his social security puts him over the acceptable income limit set by the DSHS. How anyone living on 1,600/mo is considered capable of long term care without assistance, is the million dollar question. One that I am finding difficult to answer.

Between these two, the solutions for world improvement I will have to defer to the youngsters.

With whom it seems they have decided that the world we have left them is in such a state of disarray, chaotic, corrupt and pathetic, that they must take time off from school and march in the streets to alert the adults that access to automatic assault weapons is causing collateral damage (death) to their pals.

Children teach for parents well.

You who are on the road
Must have a code that you can live by
And so become yourself
Because the past is just a good-bye.
Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh
And know they love you.
And you, of tender years,
Can't know the fears that your elders grew by,
And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth before they can die.
Teach your parents well,
Their children's hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picks, the one you'll know by.
Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
So just look at them and sigh and know they love you.

Lyrics by Graham Nash.