Room With a View

Since Thursday I’ve had this room with a really decent view. Eastern facing, I received the early morning sun across my bed and the last couple of days across the laptop as I sat at the window. Meals were brought to me, I was even escorted to the washroom. No, there wasn’t a security issue, I was in a hospital.

Looking out the window I find I overlook a pond surrounded by a walking path. The pond is teaming with ducks which were great fun to watch zipping around the water and wandering around the little island in the middle of it.

The visit was planned, I had surgery on Thursday morning. By Friday morning they had a pretty good idea they were releasing me today barring complications. No complications, I’m being liberated today. It feels like being liberated, freed from their constrictions and routine to be able to return to my own.

For me, the time there has been an inconvenience, a break from my routine at home. Course I’m returning home to a temporarily altered routine but, I’m returning home.

The real liberation in this room will be the day my roommate goes home. She’s been the perfect roommate in that we say hi and exchange pleasantries but neither of us feel the need to get each others life history.

Over the few days I’ve been here though I have gleaned some of her journey. She had been here in August for a procedure. Went home two hours north of this hospital and then was returned on September 9th with two infected areas which needed debriding. She can’t go home until they are at least healed enough to scab and that is taking time.

She’s in her seventies and is struggling with the length of the stay. I can remember being in hospital after a drug reaction for almost a month. The hanging around was a drag. That is what she is experiencing along with the stress of the wound not healing over as it should.

The dressings were changed every day and from snatches of conversation I overheard, they are in awkward spots for her dignity. Dignity is so important when in hospital. Most of the staff try, it’s not easy though.

Since I had the bed by the window and she was an easy to have room mate I let the staff leave the curtains between our beds open so she got more light and at least something to look at. Even if it is mostly the tops of trees.

The last couple of days I witnessed visits from her daughter who is clearly struggling watching her mom age and she can’t help. She’s doing some acts of kindness for her mom to try to lift her spirits. When the day comes that Dorothy is able to head home, it will be way more of a liberation than when I headed home.

Liberation can be such a varied experience. It can be as major as the liberation of a country like that of the Netherlands during WW2 or as simple as feeling free from beliefs or ideas that have held us back as individuals. For each liberation there is something to cheer for the absence of any kind of oppression is indeed a time to be liberated.

Until Next Time — Just Steem on

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Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://idesofmay.com/2018/09/24/room-with-a-view/

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