Neil is having a hernia surgery in the spring.  Today was the day he had a long over-due appointment with his surgeon. After the snow storm we had last night, the roads in Vancouver were not looking promising.  Neil looked a bit worried.

“Do you want me to go with you?”

His “Yes!” came right away.

“Oh my… really?” rolling my eyes, I said to myself, “Well, we do need to support each other as we get older, don’t we?”

So, we woke up at 5AM, got in the car together, and head to the Vancouver General Hospital.

On the way in the passenger seat, I was thinking about my mom and dad.  I remember they used to go together to the big hospital, St. Luke’s International Hospital in downtown Tokyo, that took them over an hour by train from their house.  Whenever I got back in Tokyo visiting my parents, I happily accompanied them taking trains together chatting all the way to the hospital, sat with the doctor taking notes, picked up their medications from the pharmacy…..then, the part I really looked forward to… went for lunch near the famous Tsukiji fish market, sushi with super fresh, shiny, firm sashimi.

When my dad was still working, I don’t think I’d seen him accompanying mom to the hospital.  Retirement brought him some joyous, relaxing time together for even such an ordinary event as going to see the doctor.

I felt shocked to realize that Neil and I have now entered that same era as my parents…!!

When I was deeply involved in school management at Harbourside College, I used to be engaged in multi-tasking roles, shifting back and forth from this and that; my brain was acute; and certainly, the world was revolving around me.  I was in the centre of everything.  Those days were not long ago, it seems.  However, when I think of it, I was only in my 30s, and, that is actually the current age of my children!!  Isn’t time sneaky? It somehow changed generations without me noticing….silently but swiftly, yet cunningly naturally.

So, Neil and I went to the hospital today, and sat with the doctor together. I waited while he had a couple of tests, and then, we went for a delicious sushi lunch….just like my parents.

今春にはニールのヘルニアの手術が予定されている。そして今日は手術を執刀する外科医との面談日。昨夜からの悪天候で道路に降り積もった雪の状況がよくわからず、不安そうな表情を見せるニール。「一緒に行ってあげようか？」というと二つ返事でYES。しようがないなあ。。。と思いながら、まあこれから歳をとるとお互いにサポートしあわなきゃならないわけだから。。。と心の中でブツブツ呟きながら、朝５時起きでバンクーバージェネラルホスピタルへと向かった。

車の中でふと、そういえば私の父と母も聖路加病院に行くときはいつも一緒に行ってたっけ。。。と懐かしく思い出した。二人にくっついて、里帰りしていた私も一緒に電車に乗ってペチャクチャおしゃべりしながら病院に行ったものだ。お医者さんのお話を聞いて、お薬をもらって。。。それからが本番。築地でぷりぷりのお寿司を食べる。実はそれが目的だったりして。。。

父もバリバリ働いている頃は一緒に病院に行くなんてことはできなかったけど、リタイアしてからはのんびりと母に付き添ってそれこそ病院に行ったり、買い物に行ったり、食事に行ったり。。。

なんといつの間にか私たちもそんなのんびり時代に突入してしまったんだ。ハーバーサイドカレッジで学校経営に深く関わっていた頃はあれこれとマルチタスクで忙しい仕事をこなし、頭も機敏に回り、自分中心に私の世界は回っていた。そんな時代もついこのあいだのような気がするけど、考えてみれば、私も３０代前半だったわけで、まさに今の娘たちや息子の時代なんだ。気がつかない間に世代が交代されてしまっていたわけだ。それにしてもなんとあっけなく、あっという間に、交代されてしまったんだろう。

そんなことを考えながらニールと病院に行って、お医者さんの話を聞き、昔、両親と食べたように、一緒にお寿司を食べて帰ってきた１日だった。