People are not at their best when ill.
My dad was a passionate Irishman, but the product of a parochial school education and engineering school discipline. I was the medical power of attorney in his final years, and got to witness what he became when cancer and the ravages of old age slowly took over. Studies of people with amnesia have shown this. As the cognitive functions wane, the emotional brain usually remains and is often amplified in its highs and lows. It makes you understand how rational thought works in dynamic tension with our feelings, and what happens when the former no longer governs the latter.
Whenever my dad needed to spend time in the hospital, he was OK for about 3 days. Then it started to get bad. What came out of his mouth frankly wasn't him, so I didn't take it personally. Being objective about it all (and not minding the occasional right cross to my jaw from my beloved dad), I could have fun with it. The words that spewed from his mouth reminded me of a Warren Zefon song.
I'm hiding in Honduras
I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns and money
The sh1t has hit the fan
Indeed... He was going to call his lawyer on me and/or sue the hospital... he was going to get his gun and (use your imagination)... and of course I was out of his will. Alrighty then!
One day when a nurse wouldn't answer the call button, he got his cell phone and called 911. I kid you not.
All my martial arts students who were nurses or doctors had fun stories for me. They appreciated everything I taught them - especially techniques which shut someone down without causing harm.
- Bill
P.S. Love you, dad!
