The door to Bo DePaulotic's apartment slowly opened and in trudged Bo. His face was empty of emotion and his eyes a blank stare. However, inside his head, his mind was a racing as it tried to deal with the news that he just heard. While his mind was thus occupied, his body went into auto pilot and the habits of so many years just took over.
His keys found their usual place on the entry way table. His coat was hung on the coat rack without thought or attention from its owner. His feet walked the oft travel path through his apartment, first to the kitchen and then to the living room. His body positioned himself on the couch located there and flopped into it. His right hand did as it always did in such a position and grabbed the remote, turning on the television. His eyes, seeing, but not perceiving, looked toward the images before him. In some distant corner of his occupied brain, the thought "this is my favorite show", floated up for a second or two and then died in the maelstrom around it.
For what could have been several minutes or hours, Bo sat deep in thought while his electronic companion attempted to distract him with trivialities and non-sense. Yet, through his deep meditations, something before him finally caught Bo's attention.
"New, improved, give it a try!"
These words led Bo out of his contemplations and caused him to focus on the image on his television. On the screen was a tall, thin man with an usually huge grin. His large hands emphasizing the words uttered by his dark, sonorous voice. "You have tried Change!" he said with a big smile, "for the original trial offer, but you want it to work better. Well, I am Dr. Ohamamama, and though I am not a real doctor, I play one on the campaign trail, and have I got the thing for you. It's the new and improved Change with Extra Benefits!!! That's right, with Change with Extra Benefits all you do is take it, nothing more, and let me do the rest. Soon, your problems will all be gone. All of your responsibilities and worries will be a thing of the past. Just select Change with Extra Benefits and your life will be changed forever! So take it today! Here's how......"
Bo heard a loud, different voice from behind him. "Bo? Bo? Can I come in?" The voice, familiar but not heard in a long time, broke the spell casted by the television and brought Bo back to his apartment. He turned to look in the direction of the voice and found the smiling face of an old friend.
"Doctor Ben!" Bo cried as the friendly old man entered his living room and sat on the chair across from the couch.
"I hope you don't mind me coming over uninvited?" The silver haired man said with a small smile.
"Of course not, you are always welcomed." Bo said. Doctor Ben had helped give birth to him and saw him through his first few years in life. The Doctor then retired, which was many years ago. Yet despite his age, his mind, if not his body, was as sharp and as engaged as always.
"What brings you here?" Bo asked.
"Well, I know that you had an appointment today and I came to talk to you about it." The old man said in a pleasant voice.
Bo started to relate what happened at the doctor's office and his recommendations. Old Doctor Ben stopped him in mid explanation, "I know what the doctor found and what he prescribed."
Bo was startled, "You do!?!?"
"Of course I do," Ben replied. "It is obvious what is the problem and what is solution."
Just then the pseudo-doctor Ohamamama came back on the television. Dr. Ben turned to look at the tv and gave it a look of disgust. Bo, seeing the reaction of his guest, immediately turned off the television.
"That is exactly what you don't need!" the Doctor said with some irritation.
Turning toward Bo, the Doctor leaned in, "But you tried it, didn't you? Of course you did and all the other lame-brained promises of other false prophets. So many others too, I am sure. Did you understand what it was all about? Did you ask any questions? Did you think about what would be the consequences?"
The Doctor looked sternly at his friend and for several seconds let the weight of his questions sink into his companions head. Slowly, his severe expression mellowed and his pleasant smile returned to its rightful place.
"Listen my son, to change your ways is hard. But so are good habits, at first. It requires consistency and practice to make them part of your life. After a while, they become second nature and requires little to engage in them." The Doctor got up and sat down next to Bo.
"When you were born, your mother asked me would you live and be happy. I told her that you would, if she could keep you that way. But her job is over and it is your turn to fend for yourself." Ben placed a reassuring hand on Bo's shoulder.
"The best way to change is to become involved in your health. Ask questions, learn more, demand better of those who wish to serve you. Don't just take their recommendations and words for it. Make sure you know what it is that they are suggesting and think about the long term consequences of their actions and ideas." The Doctor straightened out his posture and his voice lowered a little.
"It has been a long time since I have practiced my art and offered advice. I am only fondly remembered as of late, but rarely listened to. You want everything to be all right, but you leave it to others to make it right. Never questioning, never wondering, never trying to be involved, even when it is your health that they were playing with."
For the next several minutes, Old Doctor Ben delivered an impassioned lecture to his young patient. He told Bo that to change his ways means first he must get educated about his health and the ways to maintain it. The Doctor emphasized that Bo needed to learn about how things worked. How plans and ideas were applied by his servants and how to monitor, guide and evaluate them. He urged Bo to go where his servants work, understand the work they do, and be intimately involved in their workings. The good Doctor words drove home the point that to improve his health, Bo had to understand the process and involve himself.
"Knowledge is power. If your servant acts with such knowledge withheld from his master or the master acts in ignorance, then it will not be long before their roles are reversed." The Doctor concluded.
The old man stared for a minute at his young charge observing the effect of his lecture and then let his eyes roam the apartment. As his eyes settled on the clock hanging on the wall, he bolted up right.
"Oh my! It's late! I have to go." Doctor Ben arose. "I have a date and I don't want to make her wait." Dr. Ben moved quickly toward the door, Bo followed with a thinly veiled smile. Dr. Ben had the reputation of being a ladies man despite his age. Bo wasn't able to suppress the urge to ask, "But Dr. Ben, you are a man of retiring age, isn't your dating age a little behind you?"
The Doctor stopped his rush to the door, turned on his companion, and said, "Sir, I am retired, but not dead. As for being too old, you are never too old nor is it ever too late to see to your needs and wants, regardless of whether it is the love life or the health of Bo DePaulotic."
The old man turned and stepped out of the door with a wave of good-bye. Bo returned to the living room and by habit more than volition, turned on the television again. A fat, ruddy face popped into existence and filled the screen. "I told you that change wouldn't work, but you didn't listen to me." The face said with a small scowl. "I'm Rushford Limpbomb, and have I got an answer to all of your problems!"
Bo reached out with his remote and turned off the television. As he did so, Bo said, "We'll see about that!"
To be continued.
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