Learning and Letting Go

Care partners get practice every day at letting go of anger and frustration. In the evening and overnight cognitive decline and memory loss manifest as sun-downing and confusion. Last night was one of those and one in which the sleep helping medications did not work.

After a couple of hours of fidgety and squirmy, up to the toilet and looking for medications to take, eventually Cheryl fell asleep. Eventually, her care partner fell asleep also after hearing the living room clock chime two.

In the theme of “Carpe Diem” my thought on this morning is to be bright and cheery. I am typically not a bright and cheery person in the morning. Cheryl will not be but she has Parkinson and did not sleep well.

So where is God at 2 AM? He is probably asleep as should all of us who are not on night watch.

I learned two things from this experience. I learned these before but the lessons did not stick with me. First, I learned that anger inhibits sleepiness. I had a difficult time relaxing enough to attain sleep mostly because I was angry with Cheryl at 1 AM. And second, Cheryl will not remember today. She will be aware of only one thing in the morning and that is being tired. She may remember me being angry but will not remember about what.

As I said, this is not a new lesson. It is merely one easily forgotten because it is human to feel slighted by another. The real lesson is, “It is not her.”

Letting go of yesterday’s and early this morning’s emotions will be a better way to start this day. Yesterday is past. Today is a new day. Seize It!

Carpe Diem.