All over the world, traffic rules apart, its only human to make way for a medical emergency, letting an ambulance pass ahead on priority.
However, sadly from the country I come and live in (India) this (basic) courtesy does not come on the top of the list as far as road rules/ manners go.
In a city like Mumbai, everyone is in a hurry to get to the other end, be it work, school, or just anything. Everyone is short of time and a rush 24X7.
Roads, trains, airports – all transport routes are blocked and overflowing from all sides especially in bustling metro cities.
The wailing of the ambulance siren is indeed very disturbing, Not in a nuisance kind of a way but a ‘disturbing the soul’ kind of way. On the streets, on a busy highway, or just next door. The sound just gets your heart pounding faster than ever, irrespective of who is in or who it is probably going to fetch.
The siren and the red light on its roof signaling an emergency at the other end.
One bright sunny morning, not too far away in my neighborhood, the white vehicle with the rotating beacon, sounding its signature tune, entered our residential complex and was parked in the lobby.
A sense of fear, anxiety, and concern all churned together emerges within me and I guess others were thinking about it too.
The white-uniformed clad nurses and attendants holding a stretcher entered the lift to fetch the patient in distress. I shut my eyes and prayed for him/her and in the same breath prayed that my loved ones stay healthy and happy now and in the future.
A selfish thought, you may say but that’s the way we humans are wired, and not much doesn’t change from person to person.
So, while the paramedics do their job, the patient is taken to the hospital, hoping to get well and come home, the family strives to keep things as normal as possible. It’s not easy to answer questions from people and give replies that are cordial in every way. Keeping a composure through all of this, comes with a price – and here I am not referring to the mounting hospital bills!
Hence, the ambulance and its beacon is the reason for you to thank the life and the health you are blessed with. It is your moment to thank that someone is up there blessed you with good health above anything else.
Once health starts crumbling down, the whole stack of what life revolves around hits ground zero. Good health at every age is indeed wealth that has to be preserved and cherished always.
Cut to a week ago. The same van entered the gate of my housing complex. It headed to a building in which I knew I had a friend who was bedridden for 5 years. She was on a ventilator for the last two years.
Corona has given everyone around the world a shake-up and we are literally on our edges.
Who was sick?
Yes, it was for her and it was not a visit to the hospital!
It was for her final journey. Life had left her and it was time for her to leave physically.
Two sides to a coin – one side she was free of the dreaded sickbed and all the pains that she endured and on the other side she has left her loving husband and children behind.
Memories of a mother never leave you and she will be in their hearts forever.
As rightly said, always look at the glass half full and think positive.
She is among the stars now – happier, healthier, and now having an aerial perfect view of her loved ones.
A dreamer who is in love. In love with words and verses. Thoughts that connect with the reader creating magic, cherished lifelong.
Life is precious, so much so that we often forget that life is that much precious to others as much our life is to us ❤️
Thank you Girija for reminding us ?
To give the road for the ambulance is mandatory because nobody will die if you are late for 5 minutes.
What kind of world are we living in???