Just found this blog written a few weeks ago. Enjoy!
We just got home from a quicky vacation, I am lucky enough to say.
We took off, just my hubby and me, to explore a part of our province we had not yet had the opportunity to visit. It was a beautiful natural beauty. Since we live near a large city, we are both drawn to nature to refuel.
When near nature, we usually find ourselves in small towns where we find a place for a coffee. If we find a McDonald’s restaurant we have been known to stop. I really enjoy people-watching in these moments. I enjoy watching the groups of people socialising over a coffee. Men chatting about this and that. Larger groups of older people laughing and talking about whatever. A small town McD’s; a sense of community.
Right after our trip, I needed to drop my 12 year old car off back at the garage. Low and behold, a few blocks away there was a McDonald’s that I had stopped at a few times in the last few years. I decided to stop there again for a coffee since I had a few hours to wait for the car. I was curious to see who I would find there. Would I see people meeting? Groups laughing over a coffee? Would there be a sense of community?
The fact that I did not see groups of people communing over a coffee did not surprise me. There were people having coffee; just everyone at their own table.We are part of a large city here. Though surrounded by people, one can feel alone,even more so, when seeing all the strangers that share the space.
That is how I felt when facing my husband’s illness, especially when his life was just holding on, when a seizure could kill him.
We were blessed to have family and friends. I was blessed to have colleagues and students to distract me. So well surrounded, but still alone to face what we were going to face. Alone to support my husband, our children and our families when my hubby was unconscious in an emergency room or the ICU. Alone with my worries; alone with my fears.
I didn’t have community who would have an idea what I was feeling or what I needed. I didn’t know where to turn to find like minded people.
I was lucky to find a few angels along my path. Sadly, their quick appearance left just as quickly. These people were my saving grace.
Watching the people at McDonald’s in the small towns, I saw the richness and importance of wanting to be part of the community, of having people to share with, to discuss, to support and maybe even to laugh; at the very least, to not be alone.
Community is important. There are studies that support how important communities are to well-being and longevity.
We need to build a community for people who are facing such fears that intense illness would bring, for their own well-being and the well-being of their loved-ones.
Please share this blog in hopes of reaching someone who is need of a community when facing illness.