TOOLING ALONG ON MY WALK yesterday, I spotted a young man sitting on a park bench. He stood when he saw me and I felt a compulsion to stop when I reached him. He looked alarmingly familiar. We studied each other for a moment before he spoke.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head, “I must be having a senior moment.”
“No, you’re not,” he said, smiling softly. “I’m who you think I am.”
“That’s not… that’s not…” I stammered.
“Yes,” he said. “I’m you.”
He was about twenty-five, skinnier and more arrogant than I ever remember being.
“You just had another bout with dehydration?” he noted.
“They never told me how important it was to drink lots of water,” I said, “when I was…you.”
“Well, thanks for telling me. I’m glad to see you’re looking so good.”
Two small dogs, passing in the park, suddenly started barking, their owners trying to pull them away from each other. It was loud, annoying, and when I returned my attention to my young self, he was gone. I don’t remember much of the rest of my walk.
Helo HenryM.
It is such a pity you could not have engaged in a longer conversation, as I feel sure that you could have learned a great deal from each other.
Best wishes
Bill
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When I found this web site, I didn't think its name had anything to do with actually meeting an ostomate but I later learned there were some folks who did meet and develop relationships. How good is that? That wasn't my intention. I definitely didn't want anyone to meet me. I felt broken and wasn't prepared to express those feelings. I thought it was a place where ostomates wrote about themselves, posed questions, shared thoughts, told jokes and, sometimes, just vented. I thought of it as a community of folks with similar interests and various degrees of experience. Mostly I found some of the most caring, selfless, wise and understanding people I ever imagined. I was so impressed with some of the writings; not because of their literary value but the way in which they addressed such a very complex environment. I read hundreds of exchanges and admired the way folks cared for each other. I became hopeful with my own situation and looked forward to the next day's offerings. Certainly some contributors stood out with their experience or particular skills in addressing some things but it seemed like a total effort with synergistic results. I felt blessed to have found this site. I still do.
Mike
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Hello HenryM.
I meant for you to have a longer conversation with the younger you!
Bill, I knew what you meant, of course. I was just trying to be funny. In real life, he and I engage in much longer conversations.
Avoiding Ostomy Bag Leaking | Managing Ostomy Leaks with LeeAnne Hayden
