Ch.96 Pat Tells Me How She is Growing
June 2021.
Today I took Pat for a wheelchair walk from Peaceful Life assisted living facility where she is currently residing to a pavilion at a nearby lake. Pat sat in the sun and I in the shade while our collie Levi wandered about. We were there over two hours, but Pat hardly moved. I wondered what she was thinking (or if Lewy Body was keeping her from thinking at all). We didn’t talk.
Later that night I returned to the facility to tuck Pat in for the night [Side note: It is not all bad that Pat is away from home. Now I can give her all my love without taking nearly as much responsibility for keeping her well and safe]. I brought her a peach. And then Pat began to talk, speaking clearly and coherently. It was as if Lewy Body had taken the evening off.
Pat told me that she was still growing as a person. In particular, she was becoming more content. Spending all that time at the lake, just being, was an example. She wasn’t doing anything, but she told me she was acutely aware of the sounds and sights and the feel of the breeze around her. She was simply completely there.
Several years ago, I wrote a book entitled Being, Belonging and Doing. The idea was to balance one’s awareness of self with connecting with others and with meaningful activity. I’ve always been a doer and I’ve learned over time how to belong, but I’m not very good at simply being. Pat showed me today what it means to be for the sake of being.
Pat’s comments on Pat Tells Me How She is Growing:
I do feel like I am growing. I will say I’m getting more clear on what I’m doing. I’m getting more clear on what I want and do not want. I’m expressing that a little more to Ron. I am growing more content.