I admit that I am a “glass-is-half-full” kind of person, and at least one other member of our family is the same way. That would be one of our grandsons who following our birthday dinner for Kate said, “That’s the best meal I’ve ever had.” He had a chicken sandwich. I can’t say that about any chicken sandwich I’ve ever eaten, but yesterday I enjoyed what I consider a perfect day.
I was the luncheon speaker at our Rotary club. My subject was what our lives are like in the last stage of Alzheimer’s. I’ve spoken to a lot of groups over the years, but I take each one seriously in my preparations. Over the past few weeks, I’ve thought about what I wanted to say and coupled that with notes as well as a final draft of my remarks. I set aside time yesterday morning to rehearse as well as relax before my presentation. I figured that wouldn’t be a problem because Kate generally sleeps until the time (or near the time) that our caregiver arrives.
Yesterday morning was different. Kate was awake before 8:00. Not only that, but she was in a cheerful mood. When that happens, I take advantage of it. Instead of working on my presentation, I got in bed beside her and turned on some YouTube music. As I have done on a number of other occasions, I selected a variety of sing-along music for Seniors. We sang with the music until the caregiver arrived at 11:00. We ended the morning on a high note that was far more important than any last-minute rehearsing.
As it turned out, the presentation was well-received. I didn’t include everything I intended, but my remarks came across as a very open and personal account of our lives. That is what I wanted most, and the audience response suggested that it was the right thing.
When I returned home, I wondered if Kate’s mood would have remained the same. I was pleased to discover that she had. In fact, we had an especially good time at the café where we got ice cream as well as during dinner. It continued for at least an hour after the caregiver left at 7 when Kate was tired and fell asleep.
It had been a remarkable day. We’ve had very few days that good in more than two years. For me, it was a perfect day, and I think Kate would agree.
