A New Day, A New Attitude

A woman I talked to today was inspirational; she has had her mother living with her family for four years. It is very hard but they are all still talking to one another and surviving. Mind, the lady's mother is almost 20 years younger than the matriarch but it was reassuring to know other people also try to do the best for their parents regardless of the difficulty. Sometimes, I think we, the middle aged set (I was going to write "young") forget we are headed in the same direction as our parents and we will, one day, replace them on this journey and will have our children take care of us. I want my kids to put me on an island and periodically send in food.

I don't want to be a burden; I don't think the matriarch wants to be a burden. I don't know how one prevents the selfishness that develops and leads to being a burden. At least, I think that is what causes my mother-in-law to want to do nothing and to have every desire appeased. I hate to think she is consciously choosing to live this way. No, correct that; the matriarch cannot live any other way; this habit of being selfish developed long before I came along. There are people I have met in worse shape than the matriarch who are just happy. They just seem pleased to be alive. And, my poor mother-in-law still feels as though she is missing out on something; okay, I think she feels that way. My husband would argue, cynically, she would be happy if she could have a brownie everyday followed by a chaser of pie.