The topic for week 37 of the 2019 52-week #MFRWAuthor Challenge is very similar to one from the 2018 challenge. 2019 is "What if anything would you pay not to have to do again?" while last year's was ""If I Never Had To Do This One Task Again." One implies an unpleasant task. Doing dishes was a popular task many of us would happily forgo doing. The other prompt could be construed the same way, merely as an unpleasant taken, or taken a step further. If you're a James Bond fan you might remember "Never Say Never Again." You'll never XXX, then life or fate forces your hand.
This is one of the few posts which is personal. I once swore I would never tell someone that a friend or loved one had died. Don't say never because fate will get back at you. At last count, I've presented the "I'm sorry to tell you, but..." message a dozen times. For a while it seemed every time one family member was in the hospital, one of her friends died. And I had to do tell her.
Doing notifications requires a certain temperament and empathy, and takes a toll on one's soul. And I don't think if you are human, it ever gets easier. There are cases such as with a stroke victim whose memory net has a hole where the memory of their parent's death and funerals used to reside, or the person with dementia who continually forgets a relative's death.
The empty spot in the memory is not filled with the first telling of the bad news, or sometimes even the fifth or sixth. The hole is a black hole, absorbing news that the person cannot or will not accept. Do you keep telling the person, forcing them to relive the grief and loss? Or find a way to deflect the question? A few resources I've encountered are at the very bottom of the post.
My respect to pastors, doctors, and those in the military who have to deliver final notifications.
My piggy bank doesn't hold much, but it's yours if the next time a notification has to be made, you'll choose to accept the mission. till next time, Helen
Since the signup for the hop didn't go through, you can find the other posts at http://mfrw52week.blogspot.com/
I agree one hundred percent, Helen.
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