Posted 6/30/20
“Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” -Luke 6:30
Welcome to the Digital Cornbread Table to all! I hope your week has started out well and that things are going as smoothly as one can expect. Things are pretty much the same here as they have been for 3 months now. Hyper-busy at work, mom is stable and holding on strong (for a hospice-approved dementia patient), and time keeps on ticking.
Before we get started: In case you missed the question from yesterday’s post, here it is, with my answer:
Q. Where did you get the word “Shawshank” and what does it imply?
Thanks!
Thank you for the question. 🙂 There was an Academy Award winning movie that came out in 1994 called The Shawshank Redemption (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111161/ ) which was about jail. I really don’t want to give spoilers here, so I won’t tell you the many twists and turns, but the loneliness displayed in that movie reminded me of when we, as caregivers, went in one day from being able to sit with our loved ones in the nursing home to being locked out. The day count is how many days it has been since I have got to hug my mom. The last week we have finally had the option of seeing her outdoors with a mask and 6 feet apart…but until we are free again, I will keep on counting.
By the way…I don’t fault anyone…not the government, the nursing home, the administration…at all. They are making the safe choice to keep these folks from the pandemic. It is just sad for all of us on the outside of the walls looking in…and likewise. Therefore Shawshank Re: Dementia (Redemption).
The movie does have some unsettling parts and some swearing, but it was amazing other than that.
Thank you for asking 🙂
Today I just had a quickie word of encouragement for advocates. Keep advocating even when it doesn’t seem like it matters or that you are getting anywhere. Keep calling your congressfolks. Keep calling friends and family to join you on the Walk To End Alzheimer’s… or ask for money toward a cure or to help helpers. Keep calling your neighbor or family member who is a caregiver and offering to help. Keep going to support groups. If you don’t have one, email me at mark.applegate@senioragemo.org and I will invite you to my Zoom one the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Why do I bring this stuff up? There are a lot of sounds in front of these same folks these days. They are also being told important things from others…not discounting them at all…but we have to stay on task and keep our message out there. We are advocating for millions of folks and for our small situation all at once. The tendency would be to hold off and let the rest of the fervor of the day die down before jumping back in, but we just don’t have the time. Mom, the Sweet 17, and millions of others don’t have time. The time is still now.
I was reminded anew of the previous paragraph this past weekend. There is a very, very small little grey bird living in our gutter, then in a bush, then in out light fixture. It was no bigger than my stinking thumb!…yet it was so loud squawking that I could hear it over my TV and through the wall…a lot. I mention his locale above to tell you that I really didn’t notice him nearly as much until her moved in to the light fixture…right in the walk way as you leave my front porch. I mean, he was squawking and dropping “prizes” everywhere…you couldn’t help but see him.
That is where we need to be as advocates. Let’s make some noise. Let’s drop some…uhhh…errrr….fliers by with influential folks. Let’s do all of this loudly and lovingly…for the sake of those who need us to. Our beaks are sometimes small…but, if we plan things out and be in the right place at the right time, our squawks can be impressive!
What say you?
#EndALZ
Update: As I mentioned before, same place with mom. I will have more info tomorrow after breakfast with her. 🙂
Dad Joke of the Day: “What time did the man go to the dentist?
Tooth hurt-y.”