Good Morning from the corner of Starbucks (the second one here on campus),
I had great intentions of writing more systematically for a couple of reasons: first, to merely get me writing, which seems so hard to find the time to do; and second, to have a chance to get thoughts out of my head and on “paper” in some organized fashion. However, the semester has seemed to get away from me. That is not to say that I have not gotten a lot accomplished, but it seems that I am doing what is immediately necessary versus feeling like I am getting ahead of the game. Presently, we are already at midpoint of the semester. That is mind boggling to me. The last time I posted here, we were in the second week of the semester.
There is a certain irony in my posting today, perhaps sort of a parallelism. The last time I posted, my amazing colleague, Dr. Gloria Cohen-Dion, had suddenly, and unexpectedly, passed away. Last night, the university campus here at Bloomsburg held a service to honor her incredible life and the amazing way she served so many people. There were a number of poignant moments, but two come to mind. The first was when Sam, Gloria’s husband, read a note sent from one of their grandchildren to Gloria, when that grand-daughter was at summer camp. The second was actually a couple of stories that Sam shared about how they met and their “decades-long-courtship” as I will term it. . . .
It is hard to believe that I began this post some 4 months ago and never got back to it. What I can say about the posting above it that the void that Gloria left in her department, for Sam, for her friends and surrogate family has been paramount. She was a force and the work she did in so many ways has such significant impact on those who were fortunate enough to have a corner of her existence.
She reminds me of the person that I care for back in Wisconsin. Lydia, like Gloria was both in life and beyond, is an amazing lady. She is in the last stages of a long fight with progressive dementia. I was back in Wisconsin recently and for the first time, she did not know me. The morning that happened I had to walk away so she did not see me cry. I have learned how insidious this disease is. I am astounded even more by what the brain does for us, and we do not realize it.
There were commercials on the radio when I was in the Midwest about the importance of what the brain does in the first five years of our lives. I am so overwhelmed when I think about how what happens so early in our development has such profound consequences. It would be interesting to find out more about that.
Well, that is all I have for the moment. I plan to start writing daily as I did one summer in California. It is a good thing for me to do. I promise the topics might be eclectic, but I am always thinking. The picture is of Lydia from about three years ago, shortly before she was moved. It is sad how much she has changed from then.
Thanks for reading.
Michael
thewritingprofessor55 
Dr. Martin,
In this entry, the core of what you express is how time flies. As I am reading this in 2023, I can say that I completely agree with you. I feel like at every stage of my life so far, I have felt like it would last forever but time continues to prove me wrong. I can vividly remember my drum teacher in eighth grade telling me, “Sal, you are about to go into high school, try to enjoy it as much as you can, it is going to be over faster than you think”(Todd Egger). At the time I did not truly believe him, but as I am sitting in an empty classroom in Navy hall at Bloomsburg University, I can definitely say that he was right. I am already two years into my college career. Which is a sad thought in my mind but also an exciting one. All I can truly do is, “try to enjoy it” because “it is going to be over faster” than I think (Todd Egger).
As time soars away at incredible speeds, the relationships we have with people change at the same rapid pace. You talk about your friend Lydia who was going through dementia, a horrible disease that strips the last thing that should be taken from a human being, their mind. All of the memories, the family, the good times, the bad times, and the times with friends all are taken from a person. They are tragically left in a state that I would never wish on my worst enemy. I am truly sorry that you had to witness a friend go through this horrible situation. You say that the first time you visited her and she couldn’t remember you, you had to step out of the room so she would not see you cry. When I read those lines of text, I physically felt sadness for you. That is a situation that no person should have to experience. As of right now, I have not felt close to what that moment must have made you feel.
After reading this entry, my goal is to try and live life to the fullest, because you never know what is going to happen. Time flies and all we can do is go along for the ride. All I can do is take advantage of the opportunities I have and keep those I care about as close as I can for as long as I can.
Truly thank you for your words and heartfelt expressions of the world.
Best Wishes,
Salvatore La Marca
Dr.Martin,
Every time I consider the passage of time, I become very anxious. If you think about it, time is such a fragile concept. I will occasionally just lie down and begin to think back on my “younger” years. Despite the fact that I am only twenty years old, I feel as though time is running out. I have so many goals for my career that when I start to reflect on them, I start to get down on myself. I should not really hold myself to high expectations because there is not much I can do from my current position aside from concentrating on my studies and making sure I have a solid future plan. I can still clearly recall heading to high school, walking to class with my buddies, and immediately following that, going to my basketball practice. Truthfully, I feel like high school went by so quickly for me, and I believe a big part of that was due to the fact that I was constantly occupied. My hectic schedule always kept me focused, but the school semester always flew by. When I realized graduation was coming up, a small dose of realism set in for me, and I started to feel anxious about the future. I cannot believe I am wrapping up my second year of college at this point. Graduating seems like such a mind-blowing concept to me. The concept that I have to get a job and act like a real grownup is also very unsettling to me. Hopefully, I am able to live in the moment more to make sure time does not feel like it is slipping away from me.
I am sincerely sorry for your loss and know that Dr. Gloria Cohen-Dion was a wonderful person. It is extremely distressing and difficult for our brains to comprehend that someone can die from a fatal illness and there is nothing we can do about it. At the end of last year, I recently lost my aunt, and it was the first time I was close to a family member who had gone away. Her passing really got me to contemplate how short life is and how you should really appreciate each new day. I would not like to turn this into a religious discussion, but ever since she passed away, I’ve developed a practice of prayer at night and giving thanks to God for my blessings. I also noticed that I had begun to give myself little goals. Modest objectives like reading for 20 minutes each night and going to the gym five or seven days a week. Her passing reminded me that life is too short and that I need to start changing in order to accomplish the things I want to do. You only have one life, and time flies, thus no matter how well or poorly your life is going, you must take advantage of the opportunity that is presented to you every time.
Thank you for sharing that moment with us.
Dr. Martin,
Your purpose of this entry is to express the idea of how time flies, which I do agree. As kids growing up there is so much we wish for and want to happen, until it does and here I am sitting in my college apartment two years from graduating. Although I am happy with my life and where I am at but oh how I miss playing the sports I fell so in love with throughout high school. I miss the part of me that had the dedication to be in the gym every day working out and the part of me that spent my life on the field and court. Everyone once told me, “Enjoy it while you can” or “high school is the best days of your life”. Some of me believes that but I also have so much to look forward to in life. Yes, time goes so fast, and I would like it to slow down before it is too late, but I like where I am heading and the people I have surrounding me.
I cannot personally relate to you losing anyone close or knowing someone with dementia, but I can say that the idea of dementia scares me due to living steps away from both sets of my grandparents. Not everyone is diagnosed with dementia, and I pray my grandparents aren’t because I am not quite sure how to handle that. When your friend, for the first time, couldn’t recognize who you were, I am sure that is such a stab in the heart. I may not have anyone close to me with dementia, but I do work at a hospital on a med-surg floor. I have experienced days and nights with someone who has dementia and I have witnessed interactions of family talking to the patient with dementia, which is so heartbreaking. I have learned, while working, the best thing to do when caring for someone with dementia is to just let them talk and do most things on their own if possible and what they want to do. Not all conversions will make sense but the smiles on their faces are worth it.
After reading this blog, I will enjoy every moment of life. Living in the moment! Thank you.