Friday, July 10, 2009

Oh, woe is me

Early this morning I was awaken and asked to take my daughter to the hospital. She's fine, she has a bronchial-asthmatic-pneumo sort of thing. I'm not very medical as it goes and she is thirty-one and doesn't need me poking my nose around about things. I'm just the chauffeur. She just needs rest and a little bit of medicine.

As I'm waiting in the outer room for her to be discharged, I happen to overhear, (well actually the woman was broadcasting into her phone) the trials and tribulations of someone who was just released from the ER. She had this and that, her foot was swollen, she had a blood infection and on and on and on. Other than the fact that she was in a public place and yelling into her phone (which is a total other ramble), why did she want everyone within a thousand yards to know what is wrong with her?

When did it become fashionable or even acceptable to air your laundry in public. If someone asks you a question in normal conversation that is one thing but I don't want to know your business. Keep it to yourself. I know several persons that I will not name here that can't have a conversation without listing their latest ailments and current prescriptions. Even then everyone within ear-shot has to hear about it.

What happened to the day when your private business was private? In his later years Beloved Father suffered from a heart condition. As he got older Sainted Mother suggested he get a handicapped plaque for his vehicle. He flatly refused. Part of it was his stubbornness, to which I have the same life affliction, but also, it was no one's business. He wouldn't parade his ailments to the world any more than he would stand in a parking lot and drop his drawers. He had what is known as pride and dignity. That seems to be a lost element in today's society.

It does seem however that those who complain the most about their ills are also those who do the least. They wear that handicapped sign like a badge of honor. They can't work, walk or stand but boy can they complain. They are the first ones to gripe about stores not having wheelchairs or an electric cart. I overheard one man complain that the free cart furnished for his shopping pleasure was too small. Well, lose some weight fatso! It also seems most of those who sport a handicapped sign could cure their problems if they lost half-a-ton.

If the only thing you have to talk or brag about is your lack of good health you have a lot more trouble in life than you think.

1 comment:

  1. Our parents were of the generation that didn't talk about health issues as they were private. Even to their own kids! We all were in the dark for years, as were our physicians, as to why we had what we had. We finally prevailed to share some of the info, so we could relate it to our own doctors. However, it still was like pulling teeth to get the info out of them, as they didn't like disturbing the children with their health issues. Sometimes it helps to have, other times ou health issues are all our own. My kids know of my health issues, as the whole family gets the same food - I refuse to cook separate meals! I cook, they eat!

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