Impermanence

The residents slowly amble toward the buffet, some using canes or walkers, a few sitting on scooters, others standing, schmoozing, joking, laughing. Dinner is the social hour in senior living food a common subject conversation not momentous who won at cards family medications the weather A murmur and peaceful burble of many voices until suddenly a high-pitched wail an ambulance yellow lights aflash rounds the corner and stops. Blue jackets rolling bed medical kits EMTs quick-step toward the elevator return someone is lying flat people crane their necks which friend had this bad luck? Did someone fall again? have a heart attack? but maybe it’s nothing serious they’ll be back tomorrow (thinking it could be me) In senior living people go to the hospital stay a while come back or not friends leave for assisted living become forgetful move to memory care. We live with the impermanence of the permanence of our reality we grieve for lost friends, but we keep on loving caring living every day to the fullest