We settle in and introduce ourselves to our dinning companions. I have spent a fair amount of time with these folks working on a puzzle that will never get finished, in part due to the fact that it is put away before every meal and pulled out again after and in part to, I am reasonably sure there are pieces missing, we will likely never know for sure.
As we wait for our dinner the woman next to me asks "What's Alzheimer's?". Oh crap! Ok, we can talk about this. I explain that it is a disease that effects memory. "oh that's awful!" Yes, I agree. Everyone at the table agrees. We move on. Okay, that wasn't so bad, I can totally do this!
Moments later, "What is Alzheimer's?" Oh, we are doing this are we? So I explain again, a longer more awkward conversation ensues. I venture the question, "Why do you ask?" She points to a woman across the dinning area, "Her T-shirt says Alzheimer's, what does it mean?" Aaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!! I visualize myself flying across the room, tackling the woman to the ground and ripping the shirt to bits. Instead I say "It looks like it was for a fundraiser, a walk-a-ton" "oh that's nice!".
I'm reminded of my now 8 year old daughter, as a toddler, asking questions about Jesus and where babies come from, after I had given my dissertation she would look at me all confused and say, I just wanted to know if Jesus was still alive or if we were going to have a baby...Oh. Mom and her new "friends" are just like that. I'm the one making this hard, or harder. They are just living in the moment.
Dinner is over mom and I take a walk around the patio. As we come back in Mom spots the Puzzle, "Oh look a Puzzle, I have not done a Puzzle in ages. Shall we get it out?"
"Yes let's work on a puzzle" I say.
"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly
~Buddha~
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