If you’re among the regular readers of this blog, you know that Kate and I are regulars at Panera every morning. She always gets a blueberry muffin, but that’s not the real reason we are here. (Yes, we are here as I write.) It’s the social experience that draws us. For example, just a few minutes ago, a neighbor stopped by our table to say hello. She and her husband had just gotten back from Texas and had been to several places with which Kate and I are quite familiar. (Having grown up in Fort Worth, Kate always enjoys conversations about her home state. That interest has been especially pronounced during the years since her diagnosis. I think it’s the emotional connection to old memories that makes the difference.) Our conversation was brief, but it was a “happy moment” in our morning.
Last week we had a more unusual moment with a customer we had never seen before. She was eating at a table right across from ours. I hadn’t paid much attention to her. I was working on my computer as I often do when we are here. In fifteen minutes or so, she got up to leave. She stopped at our table and said, “I don’t come here very often, but I wanted you to know that I’ve been getting positive vibes as I watched the two of you.” We thanked her and told her that we were going to celebrate our 50th anniversary in May and said that we are a happy couple. After she walked away from the table, I got up and walked outside to speak to her before she got into her car. I told her about Kate’s Alzheimer’s and that a major reason we come here is for social encounters like the one we had just had with her. I thanked her for stopping to speak and being a part of our day.
Social isolation can be a big problem for couples who are living with Alzheimer’s. I am grateful that we can still get out to enjoy happy moments like these. We have them every day.
