Looks like I've been visiting hospitals too many times these days. Originally it was my Mom's knee surgery. Then my son broke his arm and needed an orthopedic surgeon to 'straighten it out.' Last month, my wife's mom was in a car accident and had a neck fracture which got her to the emergency room. Last week, it was my wife's dad with heart problems that got us back to the hospital's critical care unit.
So, lot's of visits to the hospitals and to the doctors. But I've really come to appreciate the medical profession and the supporting staff. I would like to pay a special tribute to the doctors, nurses, RN's, LVN's and everyone else who help people recover from accidents and health problems.
Since my mom got Parkinson's disease it got me thinking about dealing with the challenges in life. Then I had friends with cancer and recently my cousin's son in India found out he had throat cancer. These are very shocking experiences and very difficult experiences in life.
Now on the other hand these types of life events and life experiences also help to appreciate how important life really is. Looks like accidents and health problems just happen so it gives us a chance to think about what is really important in life.
You've probably all been seeing what's been going on around us by reading the paper's. First the mortgage meltdown then the financial crisis and now the credit crisis. There are some major issues going on as the country (and maybe the rest of the world) go into a recession and depression. Tough times, yes, very tough times for many many people.
So, when I look at all the things going on around me....I consider it a 'test'. Can you survive through tough times? Can you handle the ups and downs? Can you handle accidents and old age issues. It's a really, really tough test.
It makes us all think about what is important in life and hopefully, focus on the right priorities. Sometimes it's the experiences that help to change us, hopefully for the better if we can learn from these experiences.
On the financial side, the values of homes have gone up and then for many gone down. Maybe prices have gone back to where they were 3-5 years ago and still falling. In some areas such as Stockton, prices have gone down to where they were 10 years ago! And then with the stock market crash, stocks have been a real roller coaster with portfolios dropping significantly. For people who's lives revolve completely around 'the market', their lives have been devastated.
Anyways, with all that bad news, I need to go back to the notion that we need a really good support network to survive. In times like this, we need to extend our networks and have a good solid support network.
So this is why I really want to build that network for family and friends around me. Hopefully the network can continue to grow to help those in need.
We need balance in our lives and there are good times and bad times. So we need to continue to consider that we live in a universe where everything balances out. Yes, we will recover from a recession and depression eventually but we may need to make some changes.
In the meantime, we need to consider the network. The network should include doctors, lawyers, medical staff, and good insurance agents. The network should consist of a group of people who really care. So you'll be hearing more about my plans for LIFENET:
Learning through Inspiration for a Fulfilling and Enriching life - NETwork.
Take Care,
Ken
