Friday, May 17, 2013
A wonderful carry-over effect.
My neighbor Julie asked me today how I manage to
stay even keel. In temperament. She observed that I’m relatively easy going.
Nothing seems to rile me. But that isn’t true. I do get upset. But usually not about things over which I have virtually no control. We were talking about the weather.
And Julie complained about the unpredictability -- hot one day, cold the next, and even snow in May. But I said it doesn’t
matter to me. I’ll take whatever weather we get, and make the best of it.
Because I have no control over the weather. I can’t do anything about it. Same
thing goes for most everything going on in the world. Therefore, I have no
choice. Stuff happens. And I accept it. Meanwhile, I try to get on with my own life. In a
happy and delightful manner. By controlling what I can control. Including my
attitude toward life. I count my blessings. And that’s where I put my focus.
Julie could do the same. But it’s far more difficult for Julie. Because she lives under considerable stress.
Daily. Caring for her dementia-ridden
parents. In her home. I relate to Julie. Having been the care-giver for my dear
sweet Jeanne on a 13-year sojourn with Alzheimer’s. Until she died in 2007. Took me a while to properly
manage the stress of care-giving. But I learned. By getting adequate respite, especially in the last three or four years of Jeanne's life.
Made me a far better care-giver. By putting in 8 to 10 hours a day, instead of
24 hours. I took control. And accepted the stuff over which I had no control. The fact that
Jeanne had Alzheimer’s. For which there’s no cure. Anyway, I accepted the responsibility
of dealing with it. In the right manner. Lovingly. Without anger. Without
remorse. Without upset. And the experience brought a rich reward. A wonderful carry-over effect. Made me aware that I am truly in love. With life. –Jim Broede
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment