"Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future. The past is closed and limited; the future is open and free." Deepak Chopra
It is so easy as humans to get caught in the same-old behavior patterns, and the people around us know where we are vulnerable -- which buttons to push. Even someone with dementia can still push our buttons. It is easy to forget about the disease process, and it is easy to take actions personally. Recently, at a physician's office, my spouse ranted about me to the doctor, about how I would not "let" him come home. The doctor and her two interns were obviously unsure how to respond, and I had to remind myself that several physicians, a neuropsychologist and nurses have evaluated him and agree that he needs more supervision than can be done at home. Given this moment to reflect on that, I was able to act newly --by giving no reaction. It does not help a situation for us to enter into the belligerence or - in our case - even to try to reason. The situation is what the situation is. Period. Not his fault, and not my fault. We are living within the circumstances life has presented us, and my intention is to do that as graciously as possible.
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