Art of Caring

Maybe Dying Is Like 'The Blues'

Kevin Dieter, MD FAAHPM

On a recent Friday night, I found myself at an intimate music venue outside of Cleveland listening to a female singer and three male musicians performing "the Blues." She was middle-aged, wearing glasses and an outfit that probably did not follow any fashion rules. She was full of energy and movement, seeming at once both restrained and free. Her voice was booming and rich, and she truly played it like an instrument. The bass player looked like a young James Taylor wearing an Irish Derby, expressionless the entire time, with cloudy eyes that seemed to have no reason to see. The drummer had black hair pulled back in a short bun, never breaking a sweat. The keyboard player, on the other hand, was sweating profusely with his eyes mostly squeezed shut tightly and was exhibiting a variation of multiple grimaces despite seeming to be in no pain at all.