REFLECTIONS
Reflections
PASS IN REVIEW
Teresita Bacani-Oropilla, MD
I
t seems that Louisville has had more
than its usual share of stormy weather
this year. True, the bare trees of winter,
adorned with shining icicles, looked like
a wonderland one morning. But the city
was at a standstill because of the dangerous
black ice lurking under the pristine snow! The
mighty Ohio River had risen robustly beyond
its banks before that, and had not yet receded enough to uncover
drowned parks and fancy scenic restaurants along its route. These
had to be restored before many long-planned happy affairs could
be rescheduled. Still, the people survived, made do, rolled up their
sleeves, and are still in the process of fixing up the mess. They
learned their lessons from the disaster, kept their vivid memories
and losses in their hearts and in so-called clouds, accessible by cell
phones for recall, pro re nata. to be sure one is not among the list yet. One remembers these were
the same colleagues that carpooled to pickup “our” kids to and from
school, sports practice, put up with sleepovers, sniffed and worried
about drugs, smoking or alcohol. Would these beloved kids push the
accelerators of their second-hand cars when out of sight or sound?
Would they get into college and finish their education and be able
to support themselves? Sweet memories and apprehensions indeed!
Don’t we all keep memories, sweet and sad, locked up somewhere
in our beings, to relive and recall as suits our moods? Witness the So, as in the obits, we can relish the best in life, and keep them in
our hearts. We can muse, conjecture and laugh at the mishaps along
obits. Not until a person dies are the good things he did in his lifetime
published for all to share. Out of respect or generosity, some of the
shadier happenings are left out by design, leaving one to conjecture,
but definitely putting the person and his deeds to rest in peace.
When one is young, obituaries are not of much concern, but
when friends and contemporaries begin to be featured, one checks
And of course, despite our fears, life rolls merrily along with our
own successes. With our children’s graduations, weddings and even
grandchildren, life has been very rewarding. We have come to believe
the end of life would be a breeze too, since most of our dreams have
come true. As a poem wisely warns, “Into each life, some rain must
fall.” So, it is likely that storms that come unheralded may have to
be weathered still: ill health, separation from loved ones, financial
crises, to each his own. But, think of it, these too are finite, have
solutions, and come to an end.
the way, but know that even storms have brief shining moments.
Thinking further about it… Spring, which promises rebirth, is never
far behind whether in this life or in the next!
Dr. Bacani-Oropilla is a retired psychiatrist.
MAY 2018
9