A 40 year old died in his sleep due to a massive cardiac arrest. No diagnosed health issues. In fact, he was a sportsman. A man who was on social media chatting till late at night, the very same night he passed away. Leaves behind a tween child and a stricken spouse. His death a huge shock for them.
A 36-year-old man collapses while taking a bath at his sister’s house. He is declared dead on arrival bat the hospital. He leaves behind a toddler son. No history of any disease.
A 46-year-old high profile HR professional in a multinational company just gets a massive heart attack and dies two days later after slipping into a coma. Again no history of any disease.
What is common in all these cases is that they are real; all those who died were very young and had no prior history of disease. While death is the only uncertainty in life, sudden, unexpected death rattles you and turns your world topsy turvy. No, these people were not even close to me just acquaintances or friends of friends yet they were in my thoughts.
Strangely the first thing that went through my mind was about their families specifically children. It breaks my heart that very young children have lost their mother/father. Perhaps, it has something to do with me being a parent but the biggest fear I have is to not live long enough to see my children grow up and stand on their feet. Being a parent is not only a responsibility in terms of giving birth to life and raising them to be good citizens of the world but also in ensuring that you are around them physically, mentally and emotionally when they need you the most.
There is never a good time to lose a parent. I lost my mum 15 years ago and I still miss her. But at least she was around in my formative years, and I will never cease to be grateful for that. I wonder what is to blame for this sudden spurt in deaths at young age – stress, obesity, emotional fragility, depression, burn out? But, it throws you off guard and makes you think long and hard about your own life about the tiny immaterial stuff we take to heart and the larger picture that escapes us. That is why practicing gratitude is so important. It heals you and emotionally stabilizes you.
Health checks, physical and mental fitness, insurance, financial stocktaking are some of the thoughts that fleet through my mind. Every time you indulge in road rage, drink and drive, burn yourself out while working on a job you hate, never vacation, binge eat or drink, give in to temper tantrums, indulge in negative thoughts, do not forgive, stress out the small issues – you are doing massive harm to your mortal body which may be invisible.
As we completely crowd our plates with packed schedules and bone-numbing monotony, expecting our bodies to run a marathon everyday, somewhere it falters and caves in. Don’t just expect it to give and give more till it breaks down. Do give this some thought. Do give yourself some thought. Remember there is someone waiting for you at home who cherishes your presence much more than you’d ever know.
On that thought, here’s wishing everyone a great Monday and week ahead. Do something good for yourself this week, no matter how small.
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. — Nietzche
Do share your thoughts in the comments.
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