Christmas Shopping

Taking a 98 year old woman shopping at Christmas time is an adventure in hazard control.  People who have toys on their mind do not have time to say, "Excuse me."

My mother-in-law and I went to Sears for under garments for her; just a note, full-length slips are going out of style.  My mother-in-law got into a discussion with the sales clerk about what she was going to do next year.  She wears a slip like a petticoat, under everything, and is rather concerned about her future options.  The sales lady looked at her and I don't think knew what to say.  I mean the reality is the matriarch may not be here next year...but, then again, she could be here.  I think sometimes I get so caught up in the possibility of her death that I forget every day is also a day in her life.  The sales lady told the matriarch to come back in the spring and see if things have changed, maybe the buyers will have ordered more slips.  I think she was at a loss at what to say.  I did not know what to say; they also no longer sell the type of underwear my mother-in-law likes.  Years and years ago, women used to wear a boxer type undergarment; it was feminine and comfortable and like shorts, they are also out of style.  The old aren't much for shopping regularly but they are consistent when they do shop and they don't like change.  At least, the matriarch is like that...

After the slip adventure, I had to take the matriarch back to the car to drive down to the mall guest office to buy gift cards for the children.  There was no way she could walk through the mall, she was nearly in tears they didn't have chairs to rest in at Sears.  The matriarch left the store in a rush with me following her, carrying packages, thinking "Why are you leaving so fast?  It is icy.  You are blind and haven't a clue where the car is."

There was no parking in the handicapped spots around the mall; there were cars parked in those spots, sometimes 3 in one spot, but none of them with a handicapped sticker. At the start, I had dropped the matriarch off at Sears, brought her into the store, had to go park the van, and then had to rush back to find the matriarch wandering around the store.  For the second part of the visit, my mother-in-law didn't want to get out of the van.  I went into the mall alone and joined the line-up for CadillacFairview gift cards; the 3 women ahead of me were all caretakers for the old and were discussing their situations.  One lady was getting a wheelchair for her 96 year old mother; she told me her mother had once apologized for living so long.  Another lady was a paid care giver to an ill 88 year old; she couldn't take her shopping; the poor senior could barely get out of bed.  I know I am lucky.  The matriarch has enough spirit in her to drive me crazy, to walk where she wants to go and to still have a life.  I can't imagine what it is like to have lived so long and to still want to continue...but in the greater scheme of things, 100 years really isn't that long.