I saw an elderly man using a walking frame on my early morning walk to the grocery shop.  In the past we often shared a few words.

 I knew he lived alone and had multiple co-morbidities. I hadn’t seen him for quite a while and asked how he was going.

“Since the start of the New Year I’ve only been out of hospital for two weeks,” he said, looking down at the pavement.

“Oh,” I replied, sobered by the thought that it was already March.