talk to me

out for a walk this morning, i spotted an elderly woman seated in a wheelchair on the driveway in front of her home. to her side was a young lady, most likely her caregiver, kneeling in front of her. the elderly woman was probably in her eighties or nineties. she seemed frail. she was trembling. her eyes were barely open. her lips were moving though. maybe she was trying to speak to her caregiver. or maybe she was singing quietly to herself. i was too far away to hear anything. and then, just as i was about to move on, i noticed something that caused me to linger for a few seconds longer: the young nurse was holding the elderly woman's hand. and i'm not sure why, but the sight of those two women - one youthful and energetic, the other aged and decrepit - joined hand in hand made me smile. for at the risk of sounding presumptuous, i began to think about all of the circumstances that led up to this stage in my elderly neighbour's life. and how, nearing the end of a very long life, she will probably spend her final few moments under the care of a woman who likely grew up halfway around the globe. and how fate or kismet or whatever you want to call it had somehow brought this unlikely duo together to hopefully enjoy a few more moments of happiness.

"i think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer." - jim carrey

the song playing over the p.a. when i sauntered into the gap at the promenade mall today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRMBlFGtVJw&feature=fvsr