Our New Kind of Normal

GREAT visit this past weekend with M’s brother and sister-in-law. They were incredibly helpful around the house, jumping on projects that needed to be done instead of looking at them, feeling overwhelmed and just walking away – which is what I tend to do. Continue reading “Running on Empty”

Danielle LaPorte has done it again.

I read this message first thing at my desk this morning and cried. THIS was exactly what I needed. I needed to hear this, to read this. I probably need it tattooed to my forehead. I never want to ask for help. I never want to admit that I need help. But I do. Daily.

I think I might be getting over my fear of asking.

Ask for help.

Part of being in hell is that you feel like nobody’s ever been where you are before. And you don’t want to drag anyone down with you.

But you must ask for people to listen, to bring soup, to advise and to help how they can. This is how you love yourself – beyond a concept. It’s astoundingly practical.

And you know what you’re going to find?

That it’s an honor for people to help you. —Danielle LaPorte

Last night was VERY unusual, in terms of my interactions with M. I don’t think he and I have ever had a conversation quite like it before. Continue reading “Welcome to Story Time!”

I worry that being at home by himself during the week isn’t good for M. But there’s something about Sunday that really seems to upset him and I don’t know what it is. Continue reading “There’s Something About Sunday”

Even though M is spending his days at home, the nice weather we’ve had lately has made it possible for him to get out and take the dogs for walks. But for some reason, he hasn’t been doing that. Continue reading “Today’s Brain Challenge”

Have I mentioned that I am NOT mechanically inclined? For the 36 years M and I have been married, we’ve had a division of duties that has worked well for us. He’s been in charge of all things mechanical and electric and I’ve handled things like gardening and cooking. I know it sounds like a cliché, but these are things I enjoy doing and I seem to have some talent for. Continue reading “Things Fall Away”

Last night, M asked me if I HAD to help him with his shower. I told him no, I didn’t have to, but that he had asked me to help him with the water last week. I went on to explain that I noticed he was smelling fresher now that I had been helping him with his soap and washcloth every night. Continue reading “Those March Showers”

As I was leaving for work this morning, M asked me, “who was that girl making cupcakes here last night?”

Me. ‘That girl’ making cupcakes was me. Continue reading “Do You Know the Cupcake Girl?”

I got home from work last night and M was sitting there with his bowling bag, ready to go. Unfortunately, bowling isn’t until tonight, so he was ready a day early. I did, however, manage to get the sweatshirt that he has worn for five days straight put into the dirty clothes basket. Whether or not it stays there is another story. Continue reading “I Wanna Drive”

As M’s dementia progresses, I’ve seen his moods change in ways it never did before. He’s much more sentimental than he ever used to be, cries more easily and is more easily distracted and bored by things he used to be very interested in. He’s always had a temper, but that seems to have cooled down. Continue reading “The Mood That Changes on a Dime”