I haven’t written in a few days because I’ve been in my head quite a bit. I’ve been meditating after dad goes to sleep, which is early these days, and thinking about what I’m learning from all of this.

The week has gone by smoother than the first week, with less hysterics from both of us. I’m learning not to hover and he’s learning “Thank you.” In speaking with a dear friend tonight, via phone, she asked, what was I learning? What have I learned not to do, or to do? We talked about last week’s post and that long list, but there’s something more.

I’ve learned to let go, to not be in control of those who can’t control themselves. Yes, it was an illusion anyway, but I felt like I needed to control a situation that was in chaos. Remember that I only like the chaos that I create? Well, there you go. It’s one thing to recognize it as a mental need, or intellectual construct and it’s quite another to actually put it into practice. Case in point…

Today, I needed a break. I asked my sister to be with my father for the day, so I could go back home, get some fresh clothes, love my babies, and hug my husband. She said “sure.” What an angel! I went over the do’s and don’t’s and gave her the run down. She seemed confident she could handle it. I let go of the need to control everything – she could handle it just fine.

Now, I need to preface this with a setup. My father has found new purpose in helping wrap up (in bubble wrap) the collection of angels he has. This is a considerable collection. He wants us to bring him the angels and while lying in bed, he wraps and tapes them and then hands them to us to box. He likes this quite a bit because, in his words, he feels useful. It puts his mind and hands and arms to work and he likes to be tired. So, we have started this project in the last few days and he has been going to town. So much so that he just wants to keep going… every day.

This morning, after my sister arrived to cover me, I was grabbing my things to walk out the door. My father stopped me and said, “Bubble wrap?” You see, we had run out the day before and I was hoping that perhaps the day’s crew would take care of it and I could go. I really missed my home and babies and husband… I was being selfish. I was longing to just taste a little bit of normalcy. I turned back and started to flop into a chair and opened my mouth to argue. I looked at him, looked at my sister, and just realized that it was futile to fight it. Just go find the bubble wrap and don’t spend your time, Kris, trying to rationalize your way out of it. I stopped mid-flop, got my phone and keys, dropped my back pack, and said “I’ll be back.”

Where, at 7:20 AM, do you find Bubble Wrap? Yes, Walmart. After I figured this out, I ran in, grabbed five rolls, dashed through the cashier, and went back. On the way back, I realized that it was internal, in my head, where the feelings of frustration and anger were created. And I was creating it because I couldn’t control the situation. So, I chose differently. I chose again. I worked hard, in the next 10 minutes to not get snippy, blame my sister, blame my brother, hold them accountable, or worse, blame my father. I just chose not to let it get to me. It was a problem that needed to be solved, so I solved it. The last thing that was going to help was for me to get upset and angry over something that was beyond my control. Let it go. Choose differently. Choose to be happy. I think it’s easy to do but the first step, letting go of the control, is the hard part. Happiness seems to take root easily when the garden is ready for the seeds.

I got back to the house and just made sure that down deep, I killed the frustration. I smiled, changed my tenor of voice, laughed and came back in. My father immediately said “I’m sorry, Kris, I didn’t mean to mess you up.” I said, “No, no no. You didn’t. I found the bubble wrap and you’re good to go. There’s nothing messed up. Please don’t worry about anything.” I kissed him on the forehead and told him I loved him, hugged my sister, and got on the road. All told, I was only 20 minutes later than I thought I would have been originally. The bonus for all of us was that I left in joy, not in anger. He was happy. Nothing was harmed and I hope that I was able to make sure my father had a good day.

He must have because they wore him out. He’s in bed, making these god-awful moaning noises while he sleeps, so he’s definitely sleeping well. It makes me happy that he has a purpose and feels okay with what he’s doing. There was still mess to clean up, pills to give, catheter to empty, and water to put by his side. I can control all those things. I’ve learned though that hovering is bad. Whatever happens, happens. I can only take care of how I react to it and the best part of this is that I’m learning how to react gracefully and happily, rather than angrily. Better for all of us, I think.

Tomorrow, we go back to status quo, for a while. For now, it’s time to sleep for me, too. Good night, everyone.

~TDD