"I have been condemned as selfish for seeking the Truth, which is like blaming a turtle for finding the deep. Courage of this sort is the result of being authentic." Mark Nepo
The context for the above quote is that Nepo is saying how he chose his response to the treatment of cancer: saying yes to rib surgery and saying no to brain surgery. He says it was in honoring what was true for himself that guided him through his experience with cancer. It can also be what guides us through our experience as caregivers with someone who has dementia. The truth is that it would have killed me to continue to provide home care to someone who resisted every attempt I made to have respite. This is not a criticism of Dwane; it is an acknowledgement of the influence of his illness. There are those who judge me selfish for choosing his safety and my own survival. But, I know what was the truth for me and the truth of this experience. Please, fellow caregivers, make your choices based on your own truth and not the pressures, criticisms and opinions of others. Today is a day America celebrates freedom. Let us as caregivers declare our own freedom from others' opinions and from situations that prevent us any freedom ourselves.
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