Deep Down. Matthew Vandenberg

to the intense beat of my heart. When they LAND here, that's what I really want to see. Some BETTER LAND soon.

      I wonder what the proper training to become a nurse is when all I long for is companionship: the marathon would suffice. No, dear reader, I kid. Simple nurture would suffice. I don't have kids but if I did it's compassion that would ensure they're fit enough to care for elders [8] when older. But if homes are so broken, both nursing and figuratively, then it's hard to find land for common ground and the coffers of an apparently popular government. Care given to too many of the elderly is temporary in China [3] [10] and here and now I feel Chinese. There should be no grounds for cronyism. On second thoughts, that makes me a bit of a hypocrite given my previous comments about nurture trumping skillsets. Maybe some cronyism here is due now and due care, re connections, but so far I'm making no friends in the long run (I'm bedridden so I can't even run from Sydney to Bondi [9]). In some places in China there are beds everywhere [3], like people collapsing everywhere after a run, but they're vacant like the people stayed home: here I'm surrounded by vacant beds now. But nurses still can't find me: they only make the beds, running this way and that. I want to hold up a line that to me is a finishing line for them but they'll probably just think I'm pushing clothes for cleaning, giving them orders. But I want orders FROM THEM, orders yawned into my face. I would prefer to be at home here. HERE, that must be emphasized. And if bored [6] and yawning, dear nurse, run more. Even network more, both clients and nurses and nurses of the nurses, for better homes [4] in the long run. Take over existing establishments: that's better land acquisition. Gym equipment here should trump empty space. Still, I guess weights are already falling from the sky down under given the nurses' workloads [11] here in Australia. Not to mention stress [11], dangers [11], and resignations [11]. But they're dealing with young people, not me.

      Oh my, dear reader, a Chinese and Indian nurse are approaching the finish line - my side - at the same time. They've been talking to one another this whole time. I have no issue with them talking on the job, the two women obviously close colleagues. No orders, just chatter, laughter, agreeable eye-contact.

      'Oh, he's the only client but we both need a job,' the Chinese nurse says, looking at the Indian one.

      The Indian nurse chuckles, then touches her lips with her fingers, bobbling her head. Now, the bobble may be Indian but the fingers to the lips is an international sign for building a wall around the mouth to stop bad breath escaping. I'm sure some of the refugees made it to the nose of the Chinese nurse, and I smile. This is so unbelievably beautiful, this fine interracial interaction. The fingers of the Chinese woman find her own lips, but only hang on loosely (winds about the cliff, I'm sure). But even Bruce Lee couldn't have enclosed this breath with a body, everlasting even on a moving one. Sweating it out is sublime.

      'He'll need to pick one of us.'

      She turns to face me.

      'Hi Mark. I'm Melanie, and my friend is Aesha.' Dark wish.

      _______________

      REFERENCES FOR ABOVE PIECE

      1 Entrepreneur, Why Elder Care Services is Unexplored in India 🇮🇳, www.entrepreneur.com/amphtml/312224, ["Increased life expectancy, reduced fertility rates, changing family structures, women joining the workforce & the middle class moving abroad, are all contributors to the immense burden on the current workforce and resources planned (or not) for the elderly."]- Shame in family members not caring for elderly- Very few geriatricians- Middle class leaving- Reduced fertility- Daughters, sons, daughters-in-law can be abusive

      2 live mint, 62% of elderly in India lack long-term, palliative care, reveals survey for UN, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livemint.com/Politics/7QY3bpYM2EzWaV03vC1lCP/62-of-elderly-in-India-lack-longterm-palliative-care-rev.html%3Ffacet%3Damp [""According to 64% of elderly respondents, loneliness, marginalization, and isolation are the most critical issues faced by bedridden, elderly patients as they cannot visit, meet or interact with their relatives, friends and neighbours," said Himanshu Rath, founder of Agewell Foundation."]- Bedridden- Loneliness- Must babysit children of their relatives in exchange for being cared for- Hence must limit outside social interactions- Need adult diapers and equipment- Difference in how rich and poor are cared for- Health insurance only for hospitalization

      3 Xinhua Net, China's elderly-care facility beds more than triple since 2007, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/08/c_137806905.htm, ["Nearly 1.59 million beds in China's eldercare facilities were still vacant by the end of 2016, the report said. A 2016 survey showed that only 4 percent of China's elderly people would like to turn to elderly care facilities, partly due to Chinese people's preference for home-based elderly care and insufficient medical and care services in many facilities."]- Beds vacant due to "preference for home-based elderly care..."- "...insufficient medical and care services..."

      4 South China Morning Post, China's huge market for senior care blessed with opportunities and challenges, https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/2126023/chinas-huge-market-senior-care-blessed-opportunities-and ["Despite the high occupancy, operators of many senior care facility struggle with heavy upfront investment and rising labour costs, while retirees complain of high fees. Most retirees, it is worth noting, in China get an average monthly pension of less than 4,000 yuan a month."]- Cost of land for homes is high

      5 SBS, Australian visas to cost more from 1 July 2018, https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2018/06/25/australian-visas-cost-more-1-july-2018

      6 Sixth Tone, Young, Friendly, and living in a Retirement Home, https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1003061/young%2C-friendly%2C-and-living-in-a-retirement-home- No beds for young helpers in homes in most areas - no room to spare, like land [4.]- Too boring for young

      7 We know how to save lives in disasters - why don't we?, Sarah Tuneberg, TEDxMileHigh, https://youtu.be/zmanP8WDNwQ

      8 LSE, The Role of Social Norms in Old-age Support: Evidence from China, http://www.lse.ac.uk/economics/Assets/Documents/job-market-candidates-2018-2019/JMP-Xuezhu-Shi.pdf[Abstract]- Lack of pension coverage- Young must care for old- "...parents with more same-gender children provide more support to their ageing parents than parents with cross-gender ones."- Parents are TRAINING their children

      9 The Sun Herald City2Surf, https://city2surf.com.au/

      10 South China Morning Post, Silver service: China's elderly seek out upmarket nursing homes, https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1794755/silver-service-chinas-elderly-seek-out-upmarket-nursing- Rehabilitation services are expensive, and therefore usually only temporary for most

      11 The Sydney Morning Herald, A third of Australia's nurses are thinking of leaving the profession, https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.smh.com.au/business/workplace/a-third-of-australias-nurses-are-thinking-of-leaving-the-profession-20160928-grq75z.html- Workloads- Resignations- Dangers- Stress

      12 Business Insider Australia, Land prices in China are surging, both for the living and the dead, https://www.businessinsider.com.au/china-land-prices-property-bubble-burial-plots-2018-8

      13 The Monster - Eminem ft. Rihanna - (Cover), https://youtu.be/OhMMLN_H-Js

      14 Ed Sheeran - Way To Break Your Heart (feat. Skrillex) [Official Lyric Video], https://youtu.be/maLJbH4KyVU

      15 Spice Girls - 2 Become 1, https://youtu.be/FA5jsa1lR9c

      16 Xinhua Net, China unveils grading system for nursing homes: newspaper, http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-02/19/c_137833554.htm