Electric Current

My Grandfather on my Dad's side died of cancer some time ago. It was a long fight, and he got to feeling pretty bad in some parts, but in the end, he recieved good treatment and passed away on his own terms, and we miss him. He got away with smoking a pipe from age 12 until well into his seventies, and he got to do and see a lot of cool stuff in his run here on the planet.

One of the cool things he got to do was be involved with the management of the US energy grid. This meant he spent a lot of time thinking about a "talking in" electricity.

During his treatment, my Aunt and Uncle were the on-the-ground troops, since they lived in the same state, with my Dad staying in constant contact and making regular trips. At one point, my Dad got a call from my Uncle, who was in a semi-panic mode thinking that Grandad was going crazy. Apparently, Grandad had had a long conversation with my Uncle about what happens to us when we die, and said that he thought it was probably like energy...that our energy doesn't stop existing, but rather dissipates into everything around us. There was likely more to it, but the revelation definitely geeked out my Uncle and others.

In the end, it wasn't senility settling in, or Grandad giving in to the cancer...he was just trying to figure out what the game plan was, and getting ready to put his mental house in order. I love the idea, and what that idea says about Grandad...that his mind remained sharp and inquisitive for so long. Once he had considered all this, a corner was turned - from then on, we worried more about comfort than aggressive treatment, and eventually he left for a better place where hopefully he can eat a big ole steak for dinner every night to make up for having to take liquid meals through a tube in his stomach for so long.

I am thinking about this now as my friend Anna Karenina's mom is in a far away hospital with her own decisions to make about treatment and her own considerations to contend with. She is too sick too young, which is horribly wrong, but it is what it is, and here we are. I hope she can come to her own conclusions about what happens when we die, and I hope she is comfortable and making good decisions. After all, the best treatment can't help if you aren't happy with the course and engaged in your treatment.

Oremus.