Autonomy

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage," Anais Nin.

I have given more thought to how we can have autonomy, as described in Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, for finding meaning in our work as caregivers. One of the best ways, in my opinion, is to thoughtfully decide how we want to deliver our care. Whether being a caretaker was something you chose, something cast upon you, or something in which you feel you did not have a choice, we can decide how we want to show up as caregivers. We can control the quality of the care and the environment in which our care is provided. I think all of us will do the best we can, and I think it is critical that we do not allow the pressure from what seems like the inevitable few to provide our care the way they think we should. Having thoughtfully made the decision of how we want to provide care, and in my case that is: respectfully, collaboratively, and with a sense of meaning; then we need to proceed on our path without the interference of others. One of the best ways to live life well is to seek good cousel; unsought cousel may very well have different motivations for us. If someone truly wants to help, they can offer us respite instead of judgment.