July 13, 2000

Sometimes, we're powerless to help people, no matter how much we want to. This was brought home to me yesterday in two ways.

First thing in the morning, I went into a meeting at work, and spent a couple of hours in a good discussion. Upon leaving the meeting, I was informed that one of my co-workers had been taken to the hospital with pains in the stomach, the thought being mentioned that it might be appendicitis. My first reaction was concern. I like this guy a lot, he's really a good fellow, and having been through surgery recently, I knew how he might be feeling (at least in some small way). The problem was, no one knew which hospital he had been taken too, and the person who had taken him had not taken a phone. Of course, the hospitals near us don't allow cell phone use (although the big one where Nora was for so many months did... a dichotomy I've not been able to resolve yet).

So there I was, with an intense desire to help in some fashion, and with no method by which to do so. There are 2 hospitals within 5 miles of the office, and I just didn't feel it would be intelligent to drive to them both. I assumed that if something serious was happening, someone would have called either the office, or the injured parties girlfriend, who also works in the office.

So I flailed around. Feeling uncomfortable, discombobulated, and concerned, without any way of expressing it. Useful, huh?

The second issue is the difficulty that Suz is having with her puppy dog. For details, you should read her site. But the short summary is that her dog is old, and having problems. Suz's dilemna is one that I've been through before too. At what point are you causing additional pain and suffering for your pup, just because the thought of losing her is such a difficult decision to make? I'd like to have some sage advice, the correct words to make everything alright, and the ability to ease the concerns that Suz is feeling..... but I can't. I just don't have the answers, the ability to do it. And it makes me both sad and angry. I prefer to provide solutions.