Escape to and from Finland

The global chaos surrounding COVID-19, presidential elections, climate catastrophe, mass hysteria and psychoses, and all manner of other horrors fade when I am so focused on what is going on in my own house. The world around me becomes less distracting when every waking moment is focused on the events inside the walls of my house. The intensity of focus can be draining, but in some ways it is its own source of energy. At a certain point, though, I’ve discovered that I need to extract myself from the present. Yesterday, the day continued from overnight with the arrival of two people from the home care agency; the supervisor and the worker who was assigned to us for yesterday and today. After introductions, the supervisor left and the worker helped continue the work I had continued from the day before and that night. Then, my wife’s sister arrived with watermelon she has prepared for us as a treat. Later, a nurse came to take vitals, change wound dressing, and offer advice; she was superb and I hope she continues to return to care for my wife. Later, a speech therapist came to evaluate my wife’s speech, swallowing, and various other aspects within her professional purview; she, too, was exceptional (and I learned that she lives just up the street from us). Finally, a home care worker from the same company arrived to give my wife a sponge bath, change linens, and otherwise refresh my wife’s environment. Later still, after several attempts to entice my wife to eat more and drink more water, the home care agency worker and I put my wife to bed and the worker left. That’s when I extracted myself from the present.

I turned on Netflix and watched a couple of episodes of a Finnish crime drama called Bordertown. Watching it took me away from the present and enabled me to get wrapped up in the drama and action of an extraordinarily well-conceived (if given to stretch believability a bit) and flawlessly-executed television series. It’s another one of those series I am certain I will be sorry to see end. Fortunately, though, it is 31 episodes long, so I have plenty more to watch. Unfortunately, I cannot binge-watch it the way I’ve been watching so many other series of late. There’s just too much need for my attention to the real world inside the walls of my house. But at least Bordertown is there for me when I need to and have time for escape.

I haven’t gotten back to Deadwind, another Finnish crime drama series that Netflix mysteriously refused to allow me to continue watching after I watched ten episodes of the first season (there are two seasons); I’ll have to try again soon so I don’t lose memory of what I’ve watched so far.

My television-watching habits run in waves. First, I was enamored of Norwegian series. Then, Danish. Now, Finnish. (There were several others interspersed between them, but I’m talking generalities, here.) It’s odd how I seem to have abandoned most American-made series. But it’s not really odd; American series just don’t have that noir quality that is so attractive to me. The fact that I’m attracted to noir series may be the oddity.

Last night was not as taxing as previous nights, in that all I had to do was check on my wife every three hours. She rebuffed my efforts to turn her. I should have insisted, but she seemed to be so perfectly comfortable, I did not want to disturb her. Yet I should have; the intent is to turn her to avoid bed sores. I am exploring a mattress pad, an alternate pressure mattress pad, that supposedly reduces pressure points and thus reduces the need for frequent turnings. That will ease my burden and help her ensure a more restful sleep, I hope. We shall see.

It’s time for me so shower so I can face the day more refreshed and ready than I am at the moment. My motley beard needs to be shaved, my hair needs combing, and my teeth need brushing. But, first, I finish the coffee in my cup. Then, back to the real world.

About John Swinburn

"Love not what you are but what you may become."― Miguel de Cervantes
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One Response to Escape to and from Finland

  1. robin andrea says:

    I’m so glad to read that there seems to be a comfortable routine emerging from this. That will be so good, and especially if that mattress pad does help with alleviating the concern for bed sores. I hope Janine’s appetite returns and that she is really starting to recover from everything that’s going on. Thinking of you both.

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