I caught myself wondering what it would have been like for me and for my family if we weren’t looking after my Dad through this stage of his life.
At first, I felt that it would have been a relief. A kind of out of sight, out of mind type approach appeals here. I could blithely move through life without navigating constantly changing caregiver waters for example. That appeals.
Then, I thought I would have felt a lot of guilt. Would I truly have been happy? Would I have worried a lot more? Would I be driving on a daily basis to see him and making sure he was okay? Would we be as close knit a family?
But then I realized that I really wouldn’t have wanted to miss this for the world. The good, the bad, the ugly, the funny, the sad, the craziness, the unpredicability…..all of it. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.
(a little fun for ya – my Dad read a National Geographic article that talked about exercise being the number one thing you can do as you age to help you have a better life…..so he immediately thought….wait for it….instead of walking, maybe he should try jogging with his walker! )
