The Opera, The Stench, The Sadness

Its been a while since I blogged on this particular blog.  I suppose I feel like I share so much on Facebook that I don't do it here.  That should change.

The reason I decided to blog this evening was because I went to the Opera yesterday.  I was there to see something beautiful and listen to something beautiful and I wound up being disgusted by some people in attendance and was so disappointed in the lack of empathy some people had.

Everything began normal.  The first half of the show was great.  Mike and I decided to go to the bar, pick our pre-ordered drinks and he went outside for a cigarette.  After we got outside we see several people looking horrified and hear ladies saying that they could not believe how horrible it smelled in the theater  the stench was appalling, how could anyone let that happen...  and so on.  Seconds later the smell hit us too and was followed up with a little elderly lady being walked out of the side of the theater by what I assumed was a family member and an EMT.  She had soiled herself during the show and apparently was too afraid to do anything or couldn't get up or didn't know she had done it.  Some random women said as the elderly lady walked by "That is just not healthy."  And most people gasped and stared.

Once in the car the elderly lady closed the door, grabbed a hanky and began sobbing into the hanky and cried like a embarrassed teenager being rejected by all of her friends.  The kind of sobbing you never see anyone do.  The kind of sobbing you do all by yourself in the privacy of your home or room. (I'm tearing up typing this)  No one saw her but Mike and I, everyone had turned away to talk their shit about how disgusting it was.  I said to Mike that those people should be ashamed of them selves. (Loudly)  I said that that could be them one day, and that seeing her cry was one of the saddest things I have ever seen.  I began crying in front of the Bob Carr wiping away my tears for this old women who I didn't even know.  I could feel her sadness and her pain.  I could feel everyone staring at her and feel their disgust.  I felt it all.  I wanted to hold her in my arms and tell her that I was sorry that this happened and that everything would be okay.

Those who know me well know that I am a very compassionate person and that I am deeply emotional.  Those who know me even better know that I cared for Ralph.  My very dear friends father who had cancer and who I grew to be very fond of.  I along with his family and one other person were his care givers and took care of him until the end.  I also stood by my grandfathers side as I watched him die.  Its a long emotional story when it comes to him.  I just have a place in my heart for older people.  I have a respect for them.  Seeing someone being disrespectful to them or taking advantage of them and even seeing and elderly person walking down the street kills me.

Perhaps everyone who reads this can take a moment to consider how they can do more to be  accommodating to an older person tomorrow.  Hold a door open, say thank you, compliment them somehow, listen to their wisdom, and treasure the knowledge they have.  Think about how you could be in her position one day and just be glad you are not.  Life is too short to be cruel in any way.  To people, to animals, to your soul.