Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2003. Mattie was 9 months old and that weekend we took him for a walk on Roosevelt Island. Mattie's favorite form of transportation was on Peter's back. Forget the stroller or being held. Mattie loved riding high up in the air and having his feet and hands dangling around to explore the world.
Quote of the day: It is okay of airing out your frustration, just don’t dwell on them. Find out the cause and find a solution of getting rid of it. If you can’t have the solution much as well accept it. ~ Ann Marie Aguilar
As tonight's quote points out, if I don't have a solution to what is frustrating me, I just have to accept it. In many ways, caregiving involves just that.... the acceptance of my situation and finding ways to live with the stresses, frustrations, and constant demands placed upon me. Some times and days I can deal with it better than others.
I did my usual routine this morning of getting my dad up, washed, dressed, and downstairs for breakfast. In the midst of doing this, my mom was demanding things of me, which was very hard to address while also juggling my dad, who is around 200 pounds. Unless my dad is seated, he is full time project which requires supervision when standing and moving around.
My mom finally came downstairs for breakfast and presented me with more paperwork that she wanted me to address and to make phone calls. I told my mom last night and this morning that I had an important conference call this morning from 11am to noon. She heard me, but if it doesn't impact her or my dad, she tunes out. Therefore, I told her once again that I couldn't address her paperwork until after I was done.
Meanwhile, before my call began, I prepped my dad for his fitness session with the trainer (which was going to happen simultaneously with my call) and I got my mom situated in the family room with a fire going, a blanket, and pillows. I tried to plan ahead so that I could have an hour to look normal!
But don't you know it, five minutes my call, my dad had to use the bathroom (which means he passes right in front of my office door which is made of glass). I did not jump up to help him, but I later found out it didn't go well without me being in there! Pointing out once again that I can't take my eye off of him for a minute. After my call was done, my mom started complaining NON-STOP about how cold she was and how she couldn't get warm (despite the fact that the thermostat was on 75 degrees and she was sitting in front of a fire with a blanket!). I honestly feel like I can't win at all.
Once my call was over, I literally wanted to get some work done. But I have come to accept the fact that this just can't happen when my parents are awake. So I then packed them up in the car and took them out to lunch. There is no level of understanding or appreciation for the fact that I take them out in some shape or form daily. Also they did not ask how my call went today and forget about the Foundation..... that never comes to mind either.
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