Living the best day possible for everyone seems like an obvious goal or life style. It may bring you up short to hear it is the commonly heard goal of hospice.
I have been thinking about this philosophy a lot this year. We lost our beloved pet Indigo recently, and he had been in hospice for several days, weeks and months with intensive care from his pet parents and “dream team” of vets and caregivers. He had a great lab report in June, slowed down through July with a rally one beautiful morning when he led me on a three hour walk, and by mid-August he was ready to leave us, peacefully and surrounded by love. Then a friend of ours had a serious fall three weeks before her son’s weddingbut is pulling through after brain surgery, my daughter-in-law’s beloved cat Miss Lily passed away rather suddenly not long after we said goodbye to Indigo, and recently a friend of ours was notified that her indigent, absent brother had died. Mortality has been on our minds, all right.
Indigo had the best day possible every day for twelve and a half years, even though some of those days in the last few years involved ER visits, pokes, overnight hospital stays and surgeries. He mustered through it all with his strength, will and heart.
My dad was a dynamic guy but due to a second bout of cancer spent his last month in bed next to my mom, struggling to breathe, medicated, in a situation that was horrifying for us three siblings. Those who knew him recalled he was always such a dynamic guy, so the last bed-ridden month was tough, with dedicated hospice nurses always on top of the situation. God bless them.
My wife got an in-depth view of hospice as she led the care for her mom and dad, too.
So I think my point is, the best day possible may not always be a very great day.
Yet the idea of having the best day possible is worthy, humane, available to all, and a great consolation as well as a great approach to living.
So I hope and pray today that you and your loved ones have the best day possible today.
