Back to his childhood neighbourhood
From his room on the palliative care unit, he overlooks the neighbourhood where he grew up. He thinks about those times. He and his group of friends, freely traveling the city and having all kinds of adventures.
This neighbourhood is so different now.
He is delighted and amazed at how his son can look up one of his old friends who was a boxer and finds clips of him on google.
He remembers the neighbourhood, climbing the stairs on nanny goat hill, his wife working in this very hospital as a nurse.
He looks back on his life.
He remembers fondly his diverse working career. From jobs in social work, to sales, to real estate, he liked them all.
But what fills him with wonder now and what gives him the most joy is how his family surrounds him every day. He feels lucky because he knows some people here on the unit have no visitors.
They made a commitment to him that he would not be alone in this journey. And now here they are, all around him, even sleeping beside him. He is seeing parts of them he never knew before.
Surrounded by them, it feels like the afterlife is starting now. And if the after life is like this, it will be pretty amazing.
