One Afternoon at Hospice

Hear the word: hospice - what comes to mind?
Quiet setting - as close to homelike as possible?
Hope So,
Old, sometimes ancient faces, slipping away...
Often, yes

But today, as I orient myself to my shift as a hospice volunteer,
the picture tilts.
Everyone who was here last week has gone on - that's not unusual
The census is low - only 5
But every person is younger than I am - from one year to 21 years younger!
Somehow that realization comes as a shock wave to me.
EVERY ..ONE..YOUNGER!
I want to go into a room and holler!! And wail?!
"NO, Not yet!" - "Not for them! Not for me!"
"Time goes too fast!!"
"How can I be 62 years old?!" -
How fortunate I am to be 62 years old!
Am I savouring this life?!
Maximizing this life?!

Ahhh! Here I am back to the eternal questions. I ask them and answer them regularly. Usually I come back to the same thing:
Look for love and pass it on. And don't forget to laugh, especially at myself -
Like today's dance to the shock wave.