The photo at the top of this post was taken while I was in the hospital.

The Hospital of Father Pio in Przemyśl, Poland, offers breathtaking views. This one captures the autumn season, which has a slightly melancholic feel, but in spring and summer, the scenery becomes absolutely stunning.

This month of the year has somewhat never been my favorite, and this 2024 one is the same.

When I was in the USA, the whole holiday craze was in full swing with Thanksgiving and Christmas American shopping extravaganza. The pressure of buying gifts and preparing for these events was so overwhelming that all I was looking forward to was January when the dust settled, and I could catch a breath before the Super Bowl because this one was BIG and CRAZY there too.

Anyway, going back to my autumn mood.

Here in Poland, November is something else…

It’s getting really cold and gloomy for starters – way waaaaay more than in Philadelphia. Plus it begins with Catholic All Saints Day when we visit the graves of our beloved deceased – but it’s not a iron rule meaning we also visit the graves of our disliked deceased just to grumble at their graves, reminding them of the wrongs they have done, and all this while wishing them warmly to rest in peace. The All Saints Day is a holiday that I actually missed while away in the US. I missed it because it makes you reflect on life and death.

It’s a reminder that we are fragile and transient, and sooner or later, there will be a moment of paying respects at the final farewell. Nothing lasts forever, our existence is brief. In other words, “memento mori”…

The older I get, the more farewells I experience, and it will be like this until someone finally pays me a final respect. The hardest of all funerals are always those of parents. As if they take a piece of your world with them. Something changes in you forever, things are never the same again. It’s been three years since my mother passed away, leaving a void that nobody can fill for her. We miss her wisdom and motherly warmth.

Grieving after our family or friends is a humongous spiritual task, and those who are believers have it easier, in my view. There is meaning in death, and we find consolation in the thought that the deceased person went to the other side met our Creator and one day we will also cross the threshold and meet. It’s not in vogue these days to declare faith in God, but having been through a lot in my life I frankly do not give a shit what’s trending in this department nowadays. It helps me and it’s all I care about.

After All Saints, I went to the hospital for my 4 days of immunoglobulin infusion.

I hoped to spend it quietly reading and reflecting on my blog, but the Universe decided otherwise and placed me next bed to a very very talkative lady. With all her verbosity and inexhaustible energy, the only thing I was grateful for was that she was really nice, funny, and tactful. Her stories were about her family’s immediate and distant, marriage&husband and episodes from her life going back to early childhood and youth. Given that she is nearing her seventies it’s easy to imagine how much of a saga spanning over a few generations I had to take in. As of today, she is a “sołtys” of her village (village head), activist, member of various associations and God knows what else she is doing because it was hard to keep up with all her achievements that left me thinking I am the laziest and the most careless person on this planet. I felt so put to shame by her enthusiasm, love of people, and zest for life (which I very often lack ) that I found it almost comforting that her illness will put a stop to this altruistic serving of humanity and making this planet a better place for everyone. “Enough is enough,” said her doctor too, and explained that from now on she’s to slow down because the broken labyrinthus in her ear needs peace and quiet to heal. I am really curious how that’s going to work out for her – such a robust type doesn’t give up without a fight, however, this disorder that she has may prove stronger. We exchanged phone numbers so I might find out one of these days. At the end of the day, I was impressed with her buoyancy, resilience, and most important of all her unwavering faith in God. Despite her visible suffering she remained positive and trustful that everything is going to be all right. Maybe the Source wanted me to meet her just to learn it from her. 

I am starting two weeks of physical therapy this week. I am looking forward to relaxing massages and light therapy. Although there are not a whole lot of perks coming my way with this condition, massages I do like and appreciate.