VISITING MY FATHER
Today, I took an unexpected day off work. I decided that it would be much better to spend time with my father than at work. Besides, my sister’s surprise visit in the middle of the night scared the heck out of me. It made me realize that there is no way of knowing how much time he’s got or Ive got on this Earth.

When I arrived at his house he was bedridden. He seemed very thin and weak yet was extremely happy to see me. This is a change from the norm. On the rare occasion that I visit him on a workday he would sometimes chatise me for not being at work.

I immediatley noticed that there was a plate of breakfast food in front of him but he did not touch it. He told me that he did not have an appetite. This made me feel very sad. I hope that he eventually eats something. I would hate it if he were just wasting away.

Last summer he stopped taking his medication for Heart Failure. He stopped taking it because he said it was too complicated to follow. The doctor gave him several different pills to take that had to be taken in a certain order. The fact that he has Heart Failure is ironic. For the vast majority of his life he has avoided salt like a vampire avoids garlic. He is also a nonsmoker and thin. The whole idea of him having Heart Failure baffles me.

He is 77 years old. He is the only one of his eight siblings who has never had any heart trouble. He is also one of the last of his siblings to still be alive. The only other one who is still around is, Uncle Leon, who is a bypass surgery survivor.

I spent almost the entire day with my father. Most of the time he slept. He would now and then get up and talk a little then fall back to sleep. I noticed that his feet are still swollen.

When it was time for me to leave my little grandniece cried. I am always amazed when they do that. Im not that exciting a person and do not understand why small children seem to like me.

All I can do now is pray that my father regains his appetite and voluntarily seeks medical help for his condition. We can not force him into going to the hospital because he is not senile. He is a very smart, cognizant man. He probably knows more about whats going on in the city and the world than your average news pundit. All I know now is that I love him and want him to stick around for several years more....

WALKING LOG
STEPS....7814
MILES....1.47
CALORIES BURNED....260