My grandmother passed several weeks ago, she was 86. Of course, a lot of people had been telling us that she was already on bonus time given that she has been sick on and off for several years. But even though we had more than enough time to prepare for her passing, I am still of the opinion that she could have stayed with us a few more years if not for that accident a couple of years ago.

Nana lived with my Aunt Bettie, who loves renovating and doing make overs inside her home. It just so happened that she was working on changing her kitchen tile flooring at that time. One of her friends was selling imported European tiles. I do admit that they were beautiful and very high quality, but my dear Aunt isn’t known for being the most practical of buyers. She chose the tiles which were too smooth and shiny, and would have looked better at bathroom walls than on the kitchen floor. Sadly, there was no arguing with her.

Off went the old tiles and in went the lovely Italian tiles. A few days after, nana slipped on the floor rug and since there was no traction whatsoever on the tiles – she fell heavily on her side and broke her hip. Since she was already in her 80s, the doctors refused to operate on her.

Nana spent the last years of her life in a wheel chair instead of up and about just because my aunt failed to choose the appropriate tiles for her kitchen floor. I can’t help but think that she would have still been alive today if not for that.