Slice of Life Story - A Message From The Heart

In recent days two male friends have suffered heart attacks. One has had a reprieve and is now confronting the challenge of revamping his lifestyle. He is staring down his own mortality and is aware he is no longer draped in the ragged cape of infallibility.
My other friend had no such opportunity; his vital spark was sadly extinguished in an instant; the way the wind snuffs out a candle flame. He died playing tennis, something he loved to do. We spoke only last weekend at our favourite coffee haunt, Via Boffe and discussed the need to catch up and share a meal and a glass of wine, sooner rather than later…

Both my friends had a genetic predisposition towards heart disease. Both had warning signals along the way and made changes. Those changes weren’t enough to spare them it seems.

We are all born with a set number of days to spend on this earth. The lifestyle choices we embrace and our particular genetic make up, determine in most instances, how it all turns out.


These sobering events remind me that we should savour the small moments in our lives with family and friends. Critical to this is the issue of work / life balance, a matter we should consciously monitor. The work monster lurks out there. It is a beast we must control.

My heart and my head are in a state of emotional upheaval today following a night spent reflecting on these events. I have been slapped by reality. This is not something peculiar to me. At regular intervals we all receive unsubtle reminders of the fragility that surrounds living. We should not be complacent. Stay well, live well.

Comments

  1. Kevin Hodgson2 March 2010 at 21:52

    Such sadness and such a reflective post, too. This seems to me to be one of those times when writing can help ease the heart, Alan. I am sorry for the loss of your friend but agree that balance in life, given the limited number of days for all of us, is crucial.

    Kevin

    ReplyDelete
  2. wlb2 March 2010 at 22:39

    I am sorry for your loss and am inspired by how you are processing through it. You are so right about the work monster and the need to enjoy every day doing what we love. Fortunately for me, that work monster is part of who I am and what I love.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Unknown3 March 2010 at 09:18

    Powerful post, Alan. It really made me think about the stress I feel at work sometimes -- and how to just let it all go. I came home and took a long walk in the woods...
    Thanks, T-Dawg

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mary3 March 2010 at 11:17

    Alan, I am so sorry about the loss of your friend. I know this post must have been heavy for your heart to write, but in the same breath therapeutic. It's moments like this that makes us remember what is important in life.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Amanda Villagómez3 March 2010 at 15:15

    As others have already said, I was sorry to hear about your friends.

    SOLS are a great way to savor the small moments. I know that the work/family balance is one that I struggle with all the time!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Becky3 March 2010 at 15:30

    "savour the small moments in our lives with family and friends" Good advice, Alan. Those moments are before us, we do have to stop and acknowledge them though.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous3 March 2010 at 16:10

    So sorry for the loss of one friend and the suffering of another. Thank you for bringing us in with this quiet, reflective post.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Stacey4 March 2010 at 05:05

    I'm sorry to hear about the losses you've suffered Alan. Your advice is poignant and well-taken.

    ReplyDelete
  9. bonnie K4 March 2010 at 08:16

    It's probably great timing to be slicing this month Alan, with a community to share with.
    Glad to be with you again,
    Bonnie

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not every thing has a
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers to gain i
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intention of drawing t
Read more

Answering Questions Posed by Young POETS

Image
UPDATED, May 2020 As a frequent visitor to schools I have the great pleasure of working with groups of young, enthusiastic poets and their teachers. When I arrive in a classroom, young poets are often pre-loaded with questions, and most keen to have them answered.  I try to answer as many as I can, but we frequently run out of time, and the poetry caravan moves on to the next classroom. So I am here to answer some of those questions -right here, right now. So here goes: When you were little did you love writing? The short answer is yes. I have always enjoyed words and language. I can't recall a time when I wasn't doing some kind of writing. When did you write your first poetry book? I have had poems published over the years, but it wasn't until 2014 that I had an entire book of poems (an anthology) published. When I looked back through all my notebooks I realized I had hundreds of poems from which to choose. So, 'Searching For Hen's Teeth-Poetry From The
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to
Read more