Some live years after retirement, others do not

It is a fact that we do not have any control over our birth or death – these are two things that happen and, because there is birth, there has to be death. Of course, while birth is predicable to a certain extent depending on the condition of the pregnant mother, death is totally unpredictable. It just strikes without giving any warning or advance information.
Therefore, after retirement, every man dreads that moment which would be his last breath on this planet. Man is not immortal and has to take leave from this world one day. But, for some, it may be a long drawn process when he is ill and bedridden while for others it just happens when one least expects it.
Like a friend of mine – he retired a couple of months before me. In his service, he was a go-getter. He would get involved in any social activity and his very presence lent strength to whatever it was. He played the tabla well and, hence, in any gathering where singing was involved, he would be there.

He was also a member of the employee’s union and attended meetings with local authorities and even with national labor leaders. And, he was not just an avid follower of yoga but a yoga teacher also, long before it became a fashion statement, thanks to our Prime Minister.
Well – one day I came to know that he had suffered a stroke and one portion of his body was paralyzed. It was just unthinkable that a person who did not have a single ounce of extra fat on his body, who could perform difficult yoga asanas with ease, was lying in bed depending on others for his daily activities.
Well – he did recover and, after some months, could begin walking but, finally, he passed away. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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