"How refreshing -- the whinny of a packhorse unloaded of everything." Zan Haiku
As caregivers, or in other situations in life, do you ever feel like a packhorse? We are, as caregivers, burdened with decisions - which we are making on behalf of ourselves and others. Did Dwane want to vote? I'm not sure. It was something I thought he would find important and gratifying, but as the disease of dementia causes a person to "collapse into themselves", there is so much less interest in anything in the outer world. That is a little decision I made in line with what I thought he would prefer and what was right. But, how many times a day do we make even bigger decisions on behalf of someone else? Parents of young children do it all the time. Override the desire of a child to stay up late or eat too much of a treat. We are making these decisions from our wisdom and our desire to create what is highest and best for everyone --- even if the other person cannot see the benefit. With all of the responsibilities and burdens, how do we get relief -- like the packhorse that is unloaded? One way is to carve out time for things that refresh us: laughter, meditation, important connections, socializing, prayer, fun, exercise, good food, time to just relax. What does it take for you to let your load down?
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