Humbled
It's been a while. Now that I have a job that actually requires me to some extent, I no longer have time for anything else. I like it, but I don't like it. I just think I'm not meant to work. Volunteer, yes, but not work. I need to know that my time is my time, and to me, my time is all the time. I know I'm no different than most people, but I have a seriously hard time tolerating this whole work thing.
Besides that, I do really like my job. Unfortunatley, it doesn't look like something that I will have for that long --- it just doesn't pay enough. However, in my two short weeks that I have been here I have learned a lot. First of all, if you have alzheimers or any kind of advanced dementia, you have no idea that Christmas has come and gone or that you just asked for that cookie 2 minutes ago. I also learned that your life can suddenly become a lot more interesting with just a little tweak there and a little tweak here, simply because you can't remember. The most humbling thing that I learned is that we are born babies and we die babies. What I mean is this: As a baby you cannot take care of yourself, period. As an elderly person this becomes increasingly difficult.
Today I had my first time in the bathroom with some of these aging adults. Awkward is not really the word. In fact, I can't think of a word. These people's pride has simply gone out the window. I just stood there and watched as if they were some sort of side show or something and they just didn't care at all. A co-worker of mine would say, "Bernice, this is Jenny, she's just going to watch today." As she is pulling her pants down including her adult diaper and setting her on the toilet. Bernice just smiled and said, "ok." Just like that. No pride. No embarrassment. Just acceptance.
That is precisely why I enjoy working with the elderly. Their wisdom is absolutely un-parallel. They have lived their life, accomplished a fair share of their dreams, had some let-downs, experienced loss, experienced every aspect of life that you can think about.
I am currently in a play called, "You Can't Take it With You". The title is very reflective of the main theme of the play. You simply cannot take your wealth with you. At point the main character in the play says, "All those dreams, what happens to them? It is only a handful of the lucky ones that can say they even came close."
At this point in my life, I can honestly say that so far I HAVE come close, and that makes me very happy and very humbled to live the life that I have. I think I probably will be one of the elderly that just shrugs their shoulders and says, "ok" when somebody else is pulling my pants down to go to the bathroom. Because, really, who cares?
Besides that, I do really like my job. Unfortunatley, it doesn't look like something that I will have for that long --- it just doesn't pay enough. However, in my two short weeks that I have been here I have learned a lot. First of all, if you have alzheimers or any kind of advanced dementia, you have no idea that Christmas has come and gone or that you just asked for that cookie 2 minutes ago. I also learned that your life can suddenly become a lot more interesting with just a little tweak there and a little tweak here, simply because you can't remember. The most humbling thing that I learned is that we are born babies and we die babies. What I mean is this: As a baby you cannot take care of yourself, period. As an elderly person this becomes increasingly difficult.
Today I had my first time in the bathroom with some of these aging adults. Awkward is not really the word. In fact, I can't think of a word. These people's pride has simply gone out the window. I just stood there and watched as if they were some sort of side show or something and they just didn't care at all. A co-worker of mine would say, "Bernice, this is Jenny, she's just going to watch today." As she is pulling her pants down including her adult diaper and setting her on the toilet. Bernice just smiled and said, "ok." Just like that. No pride. No embarrassment. Just acceptance.
That is precisely why I enjoy working with the elderly. Their wisdom is absolutely un-parallel. They have lived their life, accomplished a fair share of their dreams, had some let-downs, experienced loss, experienced every aspect of life that you can think about.
I am currently in a play called, "You Can't Take it With You". The title is very reflective of the main theme of the play. You simply cannot take your wealth with you. At point the main character in the play says, "All those dreams, what happens to them? It is only a handful of the lucky ones that can say they even came close."
At this point in my life, I can honestly say that so far I HAVE come close, and that makes me very happy and very humbled to live the life that I have. I think I probably will be one of the elderly that just shrugs their shoulders and says, "ok" when somebody else is pulling my pants down to go to the bathroom. Because, really, who cares?
posted by Jenny at
2:36 PM
1 Comments:
Great post Jenny. Even if you enjoy the job the pays you money 50% of the time, that's probably better than most. Plus, I feel like most of the meaning in life is based on the interactions you have with other people. That is what life is about - especially when you can't remember two minutes ago. The present moment is key, but also fleeting. You have to always remind yourself of that. Moments don't last forever which can make them really important and valuable, or not important at all. I don't know where I'm going here and I should probably go to bed. :) But I enjoyed your post.
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