So many caregivers feel stuck. Like the weatherman Phil Connors from the movie Ground Hog Day, we feel claustrophobic. Resigned to living the same day over and over again. Nothing changing, at least not for the better. I want my life back! we moan. But a cardinal family living right outside my dining room window reminded me: life is right here. We just have to remember to visit it once in a while.
...This is my resilience pie chart. Each slice of pie shows a plot twist of my life story. The key experiences that made me more bendable and less breakable. You have them, too. It’s your own custom-made curriculum in resilience. My chart doesn’t have happy moments. I’ve had many of those. Earning my doctorate. Starting my first …
My client AL’s father lived in a memory care community. It was a decision made in his best interest by her entire family. Still, AL struggled with guilt. Her mother had died at home, with her. It seemed unfair her father couldn’t do the same. But he had dementia. And he was a large man with a …
Your older sister had a meltdown because you never called to thank her for lunch. (But you said thank you when she dropped you off!) Your brother’s aggravated because you bailed on watching Casablanca with him and Dad today. (But your son finally has a day off to help you haul your parents’ old furniture to …
Ever have one of those days when you want to scream at an inanimate object? Like, for instance, a bed? That was me, standing in my father-in-law’s guest bedroom. His house was under contract. He’d put it on the market with hopes of moving to a nice condo in Florida. But when a heart problem landed him suddenly in …
I make caramel brownies every Christmas. You start with a cake mix, then add caramel, chocolate, pecans, and butter. LOTS of butter. Mom used to make these for every family gathering. The printed recipe itself is practically a family heirloom. Back in the 1980s, Mom clipped it from a bag of chocolate chips, taped it to an …