If we lose our aim in life......

The other evening I received a call to help a man who was getting his wife, relatives and friends worried that he might end up doing something stupid, like committing suicide.

So, without thinking about the matter further, I drove over to have a look at the man. He was an old man, very thin, weak and according to his own admittance, have not been active or exercised for a very long time. In fact, certain movements of his were limited. It was awkward when he had to go down onto the floor to lie down. Other than that there did not seem to be anything amiss. He complained that he found it difficult to sleep and in his sleepless state, thought of all kinds of things. Everything that he had done in his life returned to his mind vividly. He believed he could be going mad.

So the first thing I did was to assure him that he had many more years to go; that God did not need him back there yet. I believe he lacked sufficient movement, no exercise and therefore poor circulation and metabolism resulting in bad appetite. His joints were getting stiff as a result. Without the exercise and no mental activity, his body did not need much rest. With very little sleep and nothing to do, the emptiness in his life plays havoc on his mind.

To help his circulation improve, I massaged his body thoroughly, talking to him and telling him everything would be fine. I gave him physiotherapy, moved his arms and legs for a start. In fact, even before I finished with him, he was feeling better and was asking when I could go to see him again. I told him not to worry, that i would see him in three days' time. Finally, I gave him some exercise to do.

I told him that he was weak and needed to strengthen his body by exercising which would lead not only to better circulation but also improved metabolism. When the body is tired, there will be sleep. So, I got him to walk briskly for a short distance, stroll back to the starting point and repeat that for ten times, three times a day; once in the morning, another time in the afternoon and finally in the evening but at least two hours before bedtime.

With that initial start, I hope to put some strength and life into his body which would lead to overcoming of his problems.

Next, I would be asking the family to get him some reading materials so that he would also be mentally tired and life would not be so boring. I hope to have the cooperation of his family to get involved with happenings and work in the family. Give the guy something to do so that he would find meaning in life. Life is to be lived, not survived. There is so much to do to ensure a fulfilling life. All we need to do is to live it. Just do it!