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“Because once you depart from this one-way road of life, there is just no getting back on.”
Vesuvius
Remember the old 1890s Baltimore Catechism that some of us could once recite quicker than our multiplication table? It went like this:
Q. Who created Heaven and earth and all things?
A. God created Heaven and earth and all things.
Q. Which are the chief creatures of God?
A. The chief creatures of God are angels and men.
Remember? Well, I came upon a different sort of catechism while hanging around Mass. General Hospital this past week where my doctors performed their usual funny parlor tricks, resting their tummies on my lap to peer into my nose and eyes and so on. There in the lobby they had a special booth on aneurysms with pamphlets on Defusing the Time Bomb In The Brain, a video running on a small TV and, behind the tables, a team of kindly people to help you once you have scared the living bejesus out of yourself by stopping to read them. See if you don’t think THIS little rundown has the same matter-of-fact feeling as that primer, that Catechism of Christian Doctrine, Prepared and Enjoined by Order of the Third Council of Baltimore:
Q. What Is A Brain Aneurysm?
A. An brain aneurysm is a bubble that forms on the side of the brain artery, very much like a balloon. There are two types of aneurysms, ruptured and unruptured.
Q. Are There Any Warning Signs?
A. The classic symptom of ruptured aneurysms is the worst headache of your life.
Q. Can Aneurysms Be Prevented?
A. Unfortunately, no! (exclamation point theirs, believe it or not.)
Q. What Are the Odds of Surviving a Rupture?
A. 50% die outright. Of those who survive, one-third recover with some deficit, one-third with substantial deficit, and the final third may require institutionalization.
So there you have it, kids, if you had any doubt at all: We sure DO we live on the slopes of Vesuvius and either sooner or later that nice old God of Baltimore and Surrounding Towns has fixed it so that every last one of us from the littlest sweetie-pies to the biggest bigshots, will, like it or not, ALL be together in Heaven - and there's a topic worth peering into for sure!
Remember the old 1890s Baltimore Catechism that some of us could once recite quicker than our multiplication table? It went like this:
Q. Who created Heaven and earth and all things?
A. God created Heaven and earth and all things.
Q. Which are the chief creatures of God?
A. The chief creatures of God are angels and men.
Remember? Well, I came upon a different sort of catechism while hanging around Mass. General Hospital this past week where my doctors performed their usual funny parlor tricks, resting their tummies on my lap to peer into my nose and eyes and so on. There in the lobby they had a special booth on aneurysms with pamphlets on Defusing the Time Bomb In The Brain, a video running on a small TV and, behind the tables, a team of kindly people to help you once you have scared the living bejesus out of yourself by stopping to read them. See if you don’t think THIS little rundown has the same matter-of-fact feeling as that primer, that Catechism of Christian Doctrine, Prepared and Enjoined by Order of the Third Council of Baltimore:
Q. What Is A Brain Aneurysm?
A. An brain aneurysm is a bubble that forms on the side of the brain artery, very much like a balloon. There are two types of aneurysms, ruptured and unruptured.
Q. Are There Any Warning Signs?
A. The classic symptom of ruptured aneurysms is the worst headache of your life.
Q. Can Aneurysms Be Prevented?
A. Unfortunately, no! (exclamation point theirs, believe it or not.)
Q. What Are the Odds of Surviving a Rupture?
A. 50% die outright. Of those who survive, one-third recover with some deficit, one-third with substantial deficit, and the final third may require institutionalization.
So there you have it, kids, if you had any doubt at all: We sure DO we live on the slopes of Vesuvius and either sooner or later that nice old God of Baltimore and Surrounding Towns has fixed it so that every last one of us from the littlest sweetie-pies to the biggest bigshots, will, like it or not, ALL be together in Heaven - and there's a topic worth peering into for sure!