Loose Ends

  Yesterday I missed skiing because of the rain and spent  time in my Cornell office preparing for a visit from the archivists who will decide what materials from my past will be saved for the Cornell archives.   It has been 27 years since I retired as an emeritus professor so I guess this is a loose end I need to tie up before it is too late.  All this got me to thinking about the loose ends of life that come at us in one way or another.  Things happen and we leave some things dangling to be picked up later and finished off.  These things can take all kinds of forms from the metaphorical to relational to the physical.  When I told my wife that I was going to write this blog she asked me if I thought I had a lot of loose ends to deal with.  I assured her that in the relational area all is good and we in our marriage are certainly in sync all the way around.  However, I do find that there are always things hanging out there I would like to get done.  Perhaps that is good because it gives meaning to the future for useful engagement.

    This ski season however has seemed to create a lots of loose ends in my geezer skier community.   Too many of our crew have had difficulties that have limited participation in our favorite  pastime.   To me it is a loose end when we no longer have full participation in the social life on the slopes.

    So to wrap this up I have the sad requirement to comment on what has happened to my friend Tim that requires surgery on his shoulder within the next few days.   An unfortunate collision earlier in the season damaged the rotator cuff in his right shoulder.   Since then he has been soldiering along on the slopes in spite of being unable to lift his right arm above his waist.   A recent MRI shows that this is not the best thing for his long term health.  He hasn't a metaphorical loose end but a physical one of ruptured tendons!  Thank heavens his surgeon says if he gets to it now he can repair the damage!  All of us in the geezer community wish him the best of all care and success in taking care of the problem.   We look forward to meeting with him during his recovery and keeping the relational connections with the skiing community.   In my most previous blog I wrote about transitions.   This will be one for a while but we will not let it deter holding things together for the future.

    From time to time  I have heard the expression "I am at loose ends".  Probably meaning one doesn't know where they are going.     We know our friend is not in that situation.  He is moving on and facing his issue and we know he will be the better for it.  Likewise the advice for all of us when we find ourselves at loose ends, it is time to suck it up and move forward.  May I exemplify that in my own behavior.