Trouble

I am fond of saying “I don’t go looking for trouble, it finds me.”  I could say the same thing about hardship.  I try though, to make my life as easy as possible.
That does not mean it is always easy, or that trouble or hardship never come my way.  Even filling out some forms can be hard.  But if that is as hard as it gets, that is a real first world problem.
That, though, is not as hard as it gets.  I reckon having had a stroke is hard.  I would rather not experience gross fatigue.  I would like to not have trouble with my breathing or balance.  Coughing and spluttering when I talk for extended periods is not desirable.  All those things and more, are a result of my stroke.  There are advantages, but I only find them by looking for them.
The thing for me is, I do what I can to alleviate the problem.  If I have a cut, I use a band-aide.  If I have athletes foot, I use what I can and it goes away.  Where I can, I do what I can.  Unfortunately, there is not a cure for everything.  For some things the best there is, is to have the problem managed.
I will not live with what I can deal with.  Something is going to get me without my assistance.  If that were not the case, people living in 1345 may still be around.  I personally would not like to put the candles on their birthday cake, and I reckon the fire brigade would need to be on stand-by. 
When I was younger, I think I rightly gave very little thought to such things.  I must have given it some thought, to take out insurance.  Catering for that “just in case” scenario.  I may not have considered such things then, but I am now.  All things being equal, I may not have, but I will.
In families, one tends to see death certificates.  That of both my mum and dad were really vague.  There was no single cause that was a reason.  They were just old, and it was their time.  It behoves me to do the right thing by myself, but the best I can hope for is that it will delay the inevitable, not prevent it.  I happen to believe I will be alive in 10,000 years time.  Not as someone walking the planet, but in another form.
Thankfully we do not see people keeling over regularly.  That sort of thing tends to happen behind closed doors – but not always.  Merril was in line to watch a movie and the guy in front keeled over from a heart attack.  She revived him and saved his life.  Not a bad days work I reckon – saving a life and seeing a movie.  Someone else keeled over on our watch playing our sport.  That person was unable to be saved, despite every best effort from our people and paramedics.
I happen to enjoy now.  As Spock says, I want to live long and prosper   My world may shrink, but it has not disappeared all together yet.  There are places to go, people to see, and things to do.  While I can, I will.  Where things change, I hope to change well with them.  It may mean trouble or hardship, but if it does, I want to make the best of a bad lot.