Inspiration
Caregiving. Not for the faint of heart. Imagine taking care of a toddler. Except they have lived an entire life and then some. And have lived longer than you. In fact, that person taught you some pretty major stuff. How to drive. How to balance a checkbook. How to read. And now your job is to take care of them. And they don't think they need caretaking. Welcome to our world :)
And you will need resources. And the interwebs can be quite confusing. Some of the best resources we have found - Alzheimer's Association for basic info, a place for mom for assisted living to full residency, Facebook and Twitter can be great resources too. Through them I have found Pat Summit's foundation, I Remember Better When I Paint and many solutions to problems we did not know existed until confronted with them.
I have been told a few times this past week that I post the best inspirational stuff. Well, it's cause I need to be inspired daily. We all do. That's why back in 1976 a low-budget film called Rocky became a blockbuster hit. Because a guy that was knocked down 100 times got up 101 times. We need to be inspired cause at times it seems like this world constantly knocks us down - illness, disease, heartache, loss of job. Our parents taught us well - we can either look at all the hard stuff, or we can see past it to all the good stuff. And get through the hard stuff with laughter, silliness and grace.
A little insight into my dad - he lived with degenerative arthritis for the last 25-30 years of his life. He lived with chronic pain daily. He could have lived his life on codeine. He chose not to - he decided to take up Tai Chi (he was already a positive thinker) and give back to his community in a much more intentional way. At the age of 57 he was forced to retire due to his arthritis, and he spent the remaining 15 years of his life reading for the blind, teaching couples ballroom dance, teaching english as a second language, mentoring those with illiteracy rudimentory reading skills, mentoring middle school students, and traveling with and loving his wife. He could have been that mean old dude, he chose not to be. He not only would give Voyageur and I sayings to live by (turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones), he lived them.
So, find that person in your life who inspires you. Listen online to those meditations. Find your way. Pick up the phone and call that friend who makes you laugh. Go on a hike with your friend who is going through a rough patch. You will find your way to the resources you need and then some. You will be posting the best inspirational stuff :)
Back at ya Voyageur.
And you will need resources. And the interwebs can be quite confusing. Some of the best resources we have found - Alzheimer's Association for basic info, a place for mom for assisted living to full residency, Facebook and Twitter can be great resources too. Through them I have found Pat Summit's foundation, I Remember Better When I Paint and many solutions to problems we did not know existed until confronted with them.
I have been told a few times this past week that I post the best inspirational stuff. Well, it's cause I need to be inspired daily. We all do. That's why back in 1976 a low-budget film called Rocky became a blockbuster hit. Because a guy that was knocked down 100 times got up 101 times. We need to be inspired cause at times it seems like this world constantly knocks us down - illness, disease, heartache, loss of job. Our parents taught us well - we can either look at all the hard stuff, or we can see past it to all the good stuff. And get through the hard stuff with laughter, silliness and grace.
A little insight into my dad - he lived with degenerative arthritis for the last 25-30 years of his life. He lived with chronic pain daily. He could have lived his life on codeine. He chose not to - he decided to take up Tai Chi (he was already a positive thinker) and give back to his community in a much more intentional way. At the age of 57 he was forced to retire due to his arthritis, and he spent the remaining 15 years of his life reading for the blind, teaching couples ballroom dance, teaching english as a second language, mentoring those with illiteracy rudimentory reading skills, mentoring middle school students, and traveling with and loving his wife. He could have been that mean old dude, he chose not to be. He not only would give Voyageur and I sayings to live by (turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones), he lived them.
So, find that person in your life who inspires you. Listen online to those meditations. Find your way. Pick up the phone and call that friend who makes you laugh. Go on a hike with your friend who is going through a rough patch. You will find your way to the resources you need and then some. You will be posting the best inspirational stuff :)
Back at ya Voyageur.