It was early afternoon. It was about an hour after she had taken a dose of meds. She was standing at the kitchen sink. Her dyskinesia was noticeable. Her conversation was anxious.
She was worried about what was going to happen with the occupational therapist … I think. I tried to convince her to sit and rest for a bit until we had to go there.
I went to putz in my office. Alexa was playing Rod Stewart old standards from his Great American Songbook album. Time after Time came on “… so lucky to be loving you” a waltz or foxtrot. I asked her if she wanted to dance. The song was a favorite of ours. I turned it up a bit and coaxed her into the space between the dining and living area. She put her arms up around me and I did the same. We hugged and danced in place. She burst into tears as some Parkinson’s emotions took over.
Me too. We took a moment to feel a little sad about our current situation. We took a moment to let the emotion wash over us. At that point in time life was overwhelming. We had to let it be overwhelming in order to move forward with life some more. It is okay to lament life for a bit.
The song ended and we sat in the living room. Rod started singing, “I see fields of green, red roses too…” She watched some of the pictures go by on the Frameo that Anna gave her a couple years ago. She cried a little bit more and enjoyed the nostalgia. And then we were ready for life again.
Carpe Diem.
Adjunct_Wizard 
Beautiful! Learning how to simply be/live in the moment is such a gift….in my experience nothing is better for those we love struggling with dementia and related disabilities….or for those of us providing care.
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It was a special moment. Thanks for the kind thoughts.
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Awe, sweet.
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Reblogged this on Care for Parkinson's and commented:
Paul and “his Cheryl” have a beautiful story, just like each of you!
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Thank you, Cheryl.
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Beautiful story. Thank yu for sharing such a private moment.
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This is such a beautiful story. Old music stirs up memories so I sometimes avoid listening to it. But maybe I’m cheating myself out of remembering while there’s still this person with me who is the only other one who has shared in those particular events and never to be repeated experiences. Thank you for reminding me that being vulnerable to sadness is one way of living a richer life!
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Old music stirs up many memories. Cheryl struggles with on and off dementia, so it is often a conversation starter. And sometimes it causes tears and nostalgia. I suppose that most of us long for our younger years more often than we think we should. Thanks for reading and godspeed to you.
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