Flu
There is a new book about the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 when so many people died. It turns out, the flu from 1918 was Bird Flu. Scientists have exhumed and taken tissue samples from the bodies of flu victims in the permafrost above the Arctic Circle. It is now proven that this great epidemic was bird flu. Most significant flu epidemics have come from either pigs or birds. The book is supposed to be quite interesting, I plan to read it soon.
When Austin was in kindergarten and Lauren was in 3rd grade, they took piano lessons from the same music teacher. Ms. Elizabeth Few was a retired music teacher from the Fort Worth ISD. She had about 40 students, held 2 private recitals per year, and played the piano and organ in church.
One day when I took the kids for their lesson, Ms. Few asked about my wife Nancy. I told her Nancy was home in bed with the flu. Ms. Few said, “Yes, I had the flu and I thought I was going to die”. I am thinking at this point Ms. Few must be like a lot of older people and is now going to tell me all of her ailments and health problems. Although I am a very good listener and sure I would have sat and listened to her ailments for an hour, I was not looking forward to this conversation. So, was quite surprised at her next statements. It went something close to this.
“Yes, I was very very sick, a lot of my friends and relatives died. I was 11 years old and it was the epidemic of 1918. This was the last time I was sick, although sometimes I now have to use my reading glasses.”
We knew Ms. Few was old, but 11 years old in 1918. It was now 1997. If my math was correct, Mrs. Few was 90 years old with 40 piano students, organizing 2 recitals per year, driving her car, cooking for relatives, playing in the same church for over 60 years, mostly not wearing glasses, and still playing really good classical and jazz piano. I haven’t heard anything from her in a few years but I wouldn’t be surprised if her life is still pretty much the same.
Stay active, do what you love, surround yourself with music, and watch out for the flu.
When Austin was in kindergarten and Lauren was in 3rd grade, they took piano lessons from the same music teacher. Ms. Elizabeth Few was a retired music teacher from the Fort Worth ISD. She had about 40 students, held 2 private recitals per year, and played the piano and organ in church.
One day when I took the kids for their lesson, Ms. Few asked about my wife Nancy. I told her Nancy was home in bed with the flu. Ms. Few said, “Yes, I had the flu and I thought I was going to die”. I am thinking at this point Ms. Few must be like a lot of older people and is now going to tell me all of her ailments and health problems. Although I am a very good listener and sure I would have sat and listened to her ailments for an hour, I was not looking forward to this conversation. So, was quite surprised at her next statements. It went something close to this.
“Yes, I was very very sick, a lot of my friends and relatives died. I was 11 years old and it was the epidemic of 1918. This was the last time I was sick, although sometimes I now have to use my reading glasses.”
We knew Ms. Few was old, but 11 years old in 1918. It was now 1997. If my math was correct, Mrs. Few was 90 years old with 40 piano students, organizing 2 recitals per year, driving her car, cooking for relatives, playing in the same church for over 60 years, mostly not wearing glasses, and still playing really good classical and jazz piano. I haven’t heard anything from her in a few years but I wouldn’t be surprised if her life is still pretty much the same.
Stay active, do what you love, surround yourself with music, and watch out for the flu.
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