May all of your dreams become reality. I really want that for you.

Ben Gibbard once said “Love is watching someone die.” And I agree. So, I hope not.

I’d rather not reinforce it by typing it out.

I’m American. Until I was almost 40, that’s where I lived. Count with index first, thumb last. Palm facing the other person.

I moved to Norway al 39. Over time I have transitioned to counting thumb first and showing the back of my hand. No one told me, just trying to assimilate.

I have always found saris really exquisite. But as a white lady from the Midwest USA, and no people in my life at all from cultures that wear them, it would be weird to have or wear one. I’d never want to wear it like a costume but they are so beautiful.

Similarly, bunad here in Norway where I live now. I didn’t grow up here and I only skate by on languages most of the time, I’m not tied to the culture by marriage or children. I just love it here. But because I’m just an immigrant, I’d feel strange wearing one. But one of my absolute favorite parts of 17 May celebrations (Constitution Day) is going out in the city and seeing all of the various bunad from different regions of Norway. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel Norwegian enough to wear one without feeling like an impostor/appropriator.

The reality of life-saving measures in health care, and why a having a DNR (that isn’t a surprise to your loved ones) is so important.

Wow that is a really great way of putting it

Asshole was trying to teach you “how the real world works” by touting self care as paramount and then assigning seemingly higher value tasks to test your penchant for a good “work-life balance”. I’d feel betrayed too!

Same! And I grew up in the Midwest/south. I first heard of it from the show The Watchmen and really thought it was part of the fictional narrative until I got curious and looked it up. Terrible, and also terrible that it stayed so hidden.

Wow I didn’t know that. Dark.

I mean that there is just universal health care here, so I don’t have to worry like i did in the US about not working a job that offered insurance as a benefit. Therefore, owning a business was always a non-starter for me. But here, it’s something I just never worry about. And I have recently begun the process of opening my own business.

Was a nurse, had many patients with advanced dementia over the years. Unfortunately as a result, my answer is “their own feces” as they just have no idea what is what anymore.

Usually some variation of this situation: poop gets on their hands because their trying to swat helpers away who are cleaning them up, then ultimately curious about what’s on their hands before one of us can clean those too, and their fingers end up in their mouth. Same people who refuse to participate meaningfully in eating or drinking anything suitable, with or without assistance.

No one should have to keep living like that. And yet, 60% or more of them were full fucking code. Get your wishes in writing and notarized, placed on file and communicate them with your family or whomever will be point person/people near the end of your time here. Because the default is “do everything” and the reality is, many people suffer for a very long time because of that.