Braving the Storms Together
Caring for Mom is part of who I am and what I do. I consider her needs alongside my own. The rush of joy I experience on those rare occasions when everything gets accomplished with ease and convenience must be what it feels like to win the lottery or stumble upon a unicorn. It’s not anyone’s fault when the experience falls short of joyous. Parent child role reversal is hard.
An arctic front has plunged Kansas into bitterly cold temperatures accompanied by strong winds that create dangerous wind chill temperatures well below zero. One factor of activity scheduling involves paying attention to the forecast. Mom and I work together before bad weather hits to make sure she and her black and brown tabby cat Rusty have everything they need to keep them safe and sound. Today, the weather experts predict a slightly warmer day before the next arctic blast arrives.
I call Mom around 10am to work out grocery shopping in the afternoon when the temperature will reach its peak. She’s had a bad night. Intestinal issues woke her in the middle of the night and low blood pressure problems kept her up after that. She knows we have a small window of opportunity and agrees to grocery shopping, but she isn’t happy about it. She prefers to take herself to the store on her own terms, but a broken-down car means she needs help.
After lunch, I entered her apartment to find her sitting in her living room chair. The temperature in the room is quite warm, but her demeanor reminds me a bit of the arctic from yesterday. Her facial expression conveys a combination of sadness and anger. I’m not sure which emotion to expect first.
