Day 23 of the March SOLSC! #SOL2022

We were talking about health, good and bad, physical and mental. A senior relative said when we are young, we take good health for granted. There are so many changes as we grow older. Our movements become slower. Our joints tell us about their presence😊. But small discomforts are part of life and we should do what we want to do and not postpone it to a day when we think we will have good health. He enjoys travelling. Recently he went on a conducted tour. His relatives were with him. There were minor hitches on the way but he is already planning his next trip😊. He has set aside a fund just for travelling.

My father-in-law passed away in 2020 at the age of 95. He could not connect to people in his last few years but did all his work himself. On his last morning, he had his bath, came out and told my brother-in-law he was feeling tired. He lay down on his bed and departed this life. My paternal grandfather passed away on 30-01-1980. He was 87 and was mentally and physically active till the end. That day he went for his walk and wrote letters to all his grandchildren including me. At midnight, he told his nephew he was feeling tired and passed away within ten minutes. But not everyone is so lucky.

Life surprises us by suddenly snatching away our good health. Some things are not in our hands. We are reading about young people dying of heart attack. On the other hand, there are people who are responsible for their bad health. They refuse to do anything for their problems. If only they had consulted a doctor, their life would have been different. A stitch in time really saves nine. When I see such people, I feel suffering was written in their fate. How else can we describe their mulish behaviour? My father-in-law and brother-in-law underwent by-pass surgery. My husband makes it a point to consult his cardiologist regularly.

I have heard many people say they pray every day that they should leave this world without lingering. The following is a shloka recited by many.

अनायासेन मरणं विनादैन्येन जीवनं
देहि मे क्रिपय शम्भो त्वयि भक्तिं अचन्चलं

anAyAsena maraNaM  vinAdainyena  jIvanaM
dehi me kripaya shambho tvayi bhaktiM achanchalaM

Requesting Lord Shiva to kindly grant three wishes is an appeal to the Lord : to give a peaceful death, a life without any trouble for the basic needs and total Bhakti to Lord shiva.