I was having dinner with a friend last night who lives far away from me. She was telling me about her parents and caregiving. I was flattered that this very busy, corporate woman had obviously taken the time to read several of my blog posts because she was very familiar with my ups and downs as a caregiver, attorney, and speaker.
The joy of this is that she was willing to share with me her hilarious story of taking her parents to a seminar on joint replacement since her mom was about to have knee replacement surgery.
As the nurse practitioner was speeding through extensive PowerPoint slides, my friend was furiously writing down notes to be able to deal with possible side effects, rehabilitation, medication and the personality changes that we all deal with when our elders have surgery…like, “I hate you because I don’t want to go to therapy and this hurts, and I haven’t gone to the bathroom for days on this pain medication.”
Meanwhile, her parents are chit-chatting with other future replacement recipients and asking their daughter to grab a brownie or two from the nice snack table that the hospital has put out to lure people to this presentation.
My take-away from this:
- Just because you’re caregiving at home, don’t think lots of other people aren’t doing it from work, from afar, or from their mobile phones.
- Caregivers love laughing at each other’s stories. We even know it’s funny while it’s happening, even though we may not be laughing until days, months or weeks later.
- You never know who might benefit from your caregiving plight. My Nana was right: Misery loves Company. I feel certain Nana didn’t make that up. It sounds like something Shakespeare probably said. My five siblings and I must’ve made Nana pretty miserable ’cause we sure heard that a lot.
- As I suspected, Brownies solve everything.
Thanks to my friend for sharing. I love hearing all your hilarious tales. Never be afraid to be It helps. I promise.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND!!!
“You Just have to Laugh…”
©2017 Cathy Sikorski
I think if you opened a bakery that only sold brownies you would have a great business
Is “the type & quality of snacks served” one of the criteria for selecting a care facility for a loved one ( or myself)?
Yes, yes it is and I shall keep that in mind!
To me, caregivers are real heroes. It takes heroism and a lot of love to give up a large part of your life to care for another person. I will gladly gift you with brownies!
And becuase I was having issues with my site, I’ll take both these kind comments and two orders of brownies!
I have never yet had to be a caregiver. Caregivers are real heroes. You have to be a hero with a lot of love to give up a big part of your life to care for someone else, especially if the other person is sometimes (or always) difficult. I bow to you. I will be happy to bring brownies!
Oh, Kathy, Every caregiver appreciates those kind words. And I’ll take those Brownies!
What happened to my thoughtful comment? Something is wrong…? What about the time? It’s now 09:55 am, not 1:38 pm. Go figure. I don’t have any brownies, but I’m going to have some mini blueberry muffins. =^..^=
Ha! Just what I need, brownies…yum. Shall I apply them directly to my thighs?
Thanks for the laughs because we are in the throes of moving to the “wrinkle farm”, and getting this house on the market. Where did all this stuff come from? Well so happy to have your book to help with legal issues. Hugs…
…and now my mouth is watering for brownies!
…and now my mouth is watering for brownies!
OH good, I”m not the only one!