Why yes, I am just sitting here eating potato chips....

February 2023

Ever have a day where you don't feel well? I have heard that eating potato chips is a better solution for an upset stomach than eating saltines. And yes, I do that. Like now.

On days like this, I don't initiate communication with my loved one. They are capable of living almost completely independently right now, and I have no intention of stopping them. So, when I am not feeling my best, I do not attempt contact or communication, unless they need something, until we are back to normal. All it does is make them worry about their own health, if I do otherwise. Was that sneeze earlier really just a sneeze? Wellll.... Given that I have not seen you since last week, when I drove you to the doctor's office, that sneeze today was just a sneeze. More likely than not, it was from the dust collecting somewhere on something, like in all homes where people actually live.

How are the kids? They are all sleeping this off, but I will just say "they're good," since I already know that the details are not staying in the memory. If I say anything specific, I already know that it will automatically turn into 'a thing.' As in: "your son is doing a thing for a thing, right?"

Why yes, he is. He is always doing something. Thank you for remembering! It always circles back to reiterating the same information regarding dates, times, and places multiple times over multiple days, but it leaves my grandma reassured of her details to reiterate to her friends during their phone conversations. I do not take this negatively because, most importantly, my loved one is TRYING.

Is it annoying? Sometimes. I wish they could remember as well as they used to. I promise I do. I just remind myself to give space and grace to them because they are showing effort, even if that effort is constantly being forgotten and remembered slightly less well than before.

So I will eat my potato chips in the meantime, cuddle our children, and allow my loved one the small gift of not worrying about us, if they call. This will be over soon enough, anyway. No sense in making anyone worry.