Today the kids and I went to Pop’s potluck. Mom was under the weather so it was just me and the kids. We got into the dining room early and had to wait a while for the rest of the residents to fill in.

The kids were drawing and Pop and his friend Al were just sitting there. So I grabbed a marker and started with a simple smiley face and showed it to Al. He grinned. Then I added eyebrows and made the smile even bigger. He laughed. And so it went.

Quinn got in on the action and made her own smiley face showing it to Pop and Al.

Friday was a tough day for me. I was pretty down. So I was glad I could come out of that to bring some smiles to my Dad and his good friend and find a fun way for the kids to interact with them.

We have crossed what I always thought would be the hardest threshold with my Dad, the toughest indignity that I would face with him. I have to regularly check and clean my father’s backside. Some days are worse than others when I get to that part. The other day he reached back there without toilet paper and got his hand dirty. He looked at his hand and knew something was not right, but wasn’t sure what to do. I just quickly grabbed a wet wipe, which live on the counter now, and cleaned him up. I have done it many times now and it is just another thing that is rolled into the routine. It just is.

I have given a lot of thought to why I seem detached from my father’s illness. It bothers me. It makes it seem as if my Dad wasn’ important to me.

The only things that I can come up with is that we are almost 7 years into this. He is dying and is clearly declining, but I have no idea exactly how long we have left with him. He still walks, he still smiles, he still knows us. If he were bedridden and just laying there, I would have a much harder time with it. I can handle this illness as it is manifesting itself at this moment in time.

I tend to be a natural caregiver-type and I think I go to that mode. It is all a part of loving him. Dad was always pretty laid back and had a smile for you. In some ways he is still the same. Things can always change, but for now, I can do this.

It was a good visit. The weather was beautiful and we sat outside for a small while after lunch. Quinn found this lovely hibiscus blossom that had just dropped from its stem. The nice thing about trying to get a smile from someone else is that it brings a smile out of me too.

Wow. I have a picture to express exactly how I feel, but I didn’t have my camera with me that day. I was in a room with stained, beveled glass door and windows. As the sunlight shone through them, it scattered fractured light all over the adjacent wall. And that was me. That was my brain.

I feel like I have been picked apart. The curtain has been pulled back. I feel like I am walking around a house looking through each window, but what I see inside changes. I think of eye exams when they switch lenses and tell you to read the letters – with every lens you see something different. The analogies could go on and on.

Today I walked around so anxious, fretting about these recent discoveries. Who am I? Am I the things the doctor said? What does that mean? Questions abound. Curiosities rear their heads. Research ensues. Knowledge gained. Processing. So much processing. I feel like I am hovering over me and then am inside me and then back out. Examining every angle until I can settle on a conclusion that brings peace.

And I did find the conclusion that brought calm. A realization. A moment of elation follows.

And there it is – there is my process. This is how I cope with anxiety, but I am watching it as if it were a movie happening in front of me.

The realization was that even with all this new information and new ways of seeing myself, I am still me. There is nothing to fear. Even if what I see of me is blurry, or is from different angles, it is still me.

I haven’t changed – it is just new information. Information that can be useful in helping me learn new and/or better ways to cope with what stirs in my brain. Medication to address what is out of balance now and we will see what the future brings. I am trying to get used to these new bits of knowledge and figure out how to incorporate them into my self-image.

There was a moment where I felt like damaged goods. But I realized that it isn’t like that at all. All these parts create the characteristics that make me uniquely me. And disparate parts me, nurturing that made me less of a risk taker combined with a naturally more impulsive side create balance. Most of it works…and works pretty well.

So now I am aware of these things and have a greater appreciation for them. I have such a greater appreciation for just how unique we all are. And my mind is at peace. And now I hope it will let me sleep.

This was Wednesday. It started with a beautiful golden sunrise. I had to capture the joy it brought me. Then it was off to the appointment, the wake up call. Um, yeah, you are not okay.

From there was scheduling an appointment for medicinal support because it was now clear I needed it. Then came this article. The mirror was held up to my face and I finally got it. This was something significant and now out of my control. This happens to other people and that I was not crazy nor was I a failure. I was 1 in 5 people who would go through a really difficult and dark time in their lives.





Creating with Quinn

I was in such a funk after that. And because I know I am in this place, I try extra hard to be present with the kids. And so this afternoon, Quinn was cutting out hearts she had just painted.

She was giving them to me to, “put them in the kitchen Mama so when you see them you smile.” And so I looked at them and thought about hanging them. Then I saw there were 4 hearts and thought “mobile!”

We had no straws, but then I thought “sticks!” – even better! To be fair, once I tied the first heart on the stick, Quinn was very happy with her “heart whacking stick”. I had to pause the project because it seemed we were on the creative outs. She liked what she had and off she went happily.

Later she was done playing with it and allowed to me move forward with the mobile. It made me so happy to do something simple and creative with her art. It came out so well. I hung it in the kitchen as she had originally instructed. It makes me smile.

Four hearts. Four of us. In this life, each on our own journey, but sharing the road together. Of course, she later told me she liked the “heart whacking sticks” better. My very honest four year-old.

Lady Gaga!!

Later that night, I was headed to see Lady Gaga!!! I know – talk about a day of highs and lows…. It was a crazy thing. I had expressed via Facebook that I was way bummed I wasn’t going. I had this notion I was too old to go, but realized that was crap. I need to spend more time being true to myself. Anyway, another friend concurred and we agreed we would see her next time around. Well the very next day, someone she knew was selling two tickets. Talk about being meant to be!!

How often does a person get a “do-over” on a regret? and in such a big way!?!?! Naturally I put on a wig, some fun make up and expressed myself. Madonna would be damn proud! Speaking of regrets – never saw her live…

The concert was truly amazing. Whatever you think of Lady Gaga, you cannot deny that she is talented. Her voice is incredible. In addition to rocking the piano, she played organ, stand up base and that guitar/keyboard instrument I can’t name (:-p). She’s a fantastic performer and really gives her all. It’s a complete show – sets, costumes, performance art, interaction with the audience. It was really a great experience – and to feel that much energy in an arena is so cool.

The best moment though was her piano rendition of “Born this Way”. Everytime I listen to this I get chills. It really is a beautiful song and sung this way is so very powerful. And to hear thousands of people sing the chorus – well, that is a moment that will elevate you. Simply spine tingling. And given this crazy-making place in which I find myself – the words below mean a great deal. An affirmation if you will. The video I took is below – you must watch and listen to it – I promise you’ll get chills too.

“There’s nothin wrong with lovin who you are”
She said, “’cause he made you perfect, babe”
“So hold your head up girl and you’ll go far,
Listen to me when I say”

I’m beautiful in my way
‘Cause God makes no mistakes
I’m on the right track baby
I was born this way
Don’t hide yourself in regret
Just love yourself and you’re set
I’m on the right track baby
I was born this way

And if you got this far – just for fun, here is a panorama of the arena.

I think that spirituality is highly personal. No matter how you were raised, I think we all search for something that speaks to us. Something that meets us on a soul level. We are all individuals having a very unique life experience. I imagine that even among people in the same religion, each person has a very individual way they experience and internalize the beliefs and traditions.

Nature has always felt like what I thought church was supposed to, but never did (I grew up Catholic). It is all around me. It is always there. It is a relationship not fraught with the complexities of human ones. It is one I trust, one that fills me and one that I can go to whenever I am in need.

These last few weeks have been intense and difficult to say the least. In reviewing my most recent pics, I found a few that captured those moments. A pause in a difficult day where I stood face to face with something amazing and was able to find peace and room to breathe. These are the moments where I feel like I am face to face with my higher power.

I experienced it on a recent road trip to Dallas just me and the kids. The fact that I managed to get us packed and on road in and of itself was a miracle. I had an emotionally exhausting week thanks to a harassing neighbor, was parenting solo and was emotionally and physically exhausted.

And so when awful traffic caused the trip to be 6 hours (instead of 3) and our audio books weren’t working, the kids and I made do with 8 songs on repeat.

And as we were finally out of traffic and about 30 minutes outside of Dallas, I begin to notice the sun setting beside me, with the most gorgeous full moon rising on the other side. I found intense peace in its beauty and was able to hit the reset button. There was breathing room and space. I wasn’t alone.

And so this sunset accompanied us into Dallas. With sunroof open, our awesome 8 tunes blaring, darkness setting in, the bright lights of downtown Dallas greeting us, and room on the road to move – the kids as I were blissful. I had a smile on my face the rest of the way in – we made it. I will not soon forget that drive.

This picture was taken the very next night after the drive I spoke of earlier. I remember the feeling of my heart wanting to explode. I was overcome with the beauty in front and all around me. In that moment I was so filled.

When I look up at trees, I instantly feel a life energy all around me. The way this tree’s branches reach and stretch out with a yearning, blacked out against the colorful sky was invigorating. I see all at once the struggle, the triumph and strength. And it is simply beautiful.

This is life right here in all its truth, glory and ugliness. It feels so very safe and protected. No judgement. No matter whether there is color or blackness – all together the scene makes sense. It works. It is connected. It is how it should be.

I wish human existence could always feel like this. That no matter in what part we reside in the moment, it is deemed beautiful and an important place to be. I wish that parts of our existence weren’t so scary to ourselves or to others. That we could all always feel safe with each other.

This picture was taken outside of my Dad’s Alzheimer facility one evening after I had put him to bed about a week and a half after our trip to Dallas. The sky out there feels so wide open. It feels like a hug the way it is so completely big and can encompass me. The clouds help give a sense of just how expansive it is the way they are so thinly stretched out.

Every time I see this picture it takes my breath away. I want to get lost in that sky. I love the feeling of space. The feeling of there being room for all of life. Nothing can possibly be overwhelming or overstimulating here. I look at the clouds and I feel light, almost like I can float.

This is the right place for my Dad to be – surrounded by peace and wide open skies as his brain slowly fails him. I love that he can sit outside and take it in. He was always such a simple man who enjoyed simple pleasures. He never got the chance to retire since he was diagnosed while still working, but somehow I am positive that spending his evenings sitting next to his wife, daughter, son, or grandchildren under such a beautiful sky would be absolute bliss to him.

This was taken 4 days ago at a gas station off Mopac early in the morning as I was heading to a therapy appointment. The sky was golden – it was so beautiful.

This morning was to be a difficult one. One where I had to face that as many times as I had pressed the reset button, as I found my strength in the trees, in the skies, where ever I could, that I was still flailing about in the lake. I had used up all my lives. I couldn’t be stronger just one more time.

I have been reminding myself that this isn’t my fault. I didn’t cause this. It just is. Life does all sorts of things to people. Stress causes ulcers, headaches and lots of stuff. And sometimes stress can cause changes in brain chemicals that completely turn life and everything we perceive on its head.

It wasn’t time to give up, but give in. To stop being strong. To stop trying. To let go and hit the bottom. There is no shame in proving that truly we are all human. I am so often referred to as a “super woman” because I have an insane amount of energy (though I think it to be waning with age). And maybe I wanted to prove everyone right and be what I was perceived to be.

But I am not. I am me. And life can be too much for me too. It can be for anyone. My brain pretty much said enough is enough. So here I am standing at the bottom of this dark place. But I will remember that the sky is always up and the trees are always next to me. And through them I will find that life energy and connectedness that ties me to something greater than me. Something that will hold me, guide me and help me find myself and a place not so dark and lonely.