Sunday in the Nursing Home with Mom

I have three sensational kids who have all grown into three sensational adults. When they were little, they were in daycare. I clearly recall my daily exit routine with them--a quick hug, a kiss on the forehead, "Bye, Bye!"and then, "Now stay out of trouble!"

I've heard it, or read it, that Life is Circular. It's true. Weirdly true.

Sunday afternoon at the nursing home.

Mom's roommate wants to nap so we head to the lobby. There we sit. Mom in her wheelchair. I'm on her left. Dad is on my left. We sit, like the three See No Evil/Speak No Evil/Hear No Evil Chimpanzees staring out the lobby windows, except of course, Dad is really the See/Speak/Hear No Evil chimp in this scenario because he has fallen completely asleep. (Although he did magically wake up when Dixie, the black lab, came strolling into the lobby area......How does he do that????)

Mom was in a particularly spry mood today. I asked her how her day was going and she answered with particularly pointed pride, "Oh well, you know it's the same old thing..........I eat, I pee, I sleep, I get my dope."

(This is where one of those cartoon "boiiiiinnnnng!" sounds would be if this had been a cartoon.)

I whipped around, stunned at Mom's uncharacteristically forthright delivery, especially of the word "dope," and just looked at her with my mouth agape.

She stared right back at me, equally agape!

Then, as if on cue, we both cracked up, out loud, right there in the lobby! It wasn't really that funny. I dunno. It was just the tone Mom had. So matter-of-fact. So resolute. And so completely "ok" with it all. More like something Dad would've said, but very funny coming out of Mom's mouth.

Anyway, we ended up sitting in the lobby for a good hour and a half.

There was a group in the dining hall singing patriotic songs (in honor of Memorial Day I suspect).

The wife of the man who brings Dixie was also in the lobby. She barely moves. Dad, at one point, whispered (sort of) to me, "Is she dead?"

One lady, a resident, came wandering through the lobby clutching a little teddy bear and mumbling to herself and pointing at this door, then another door, "I thought it was here......no there.......no here....." and Mom said, rolling her eyes, "She's been lost all morning."

Two women residents were huddled together in a nearby corner chatting enthusiastically about the Dancing With The Stars finale.

It was a rather pleasant hour and half. Certainly entertaining.But then it was time for us to leave.

I woke up Dad, and we wheeled Mom back to her room, where her roommate was sound asleep. I taped a new family photo up on Mom's wall, made up her bed for her, wheeled her into position in front of her television. Dad kissed Mom goodbye and told her he loved her. I gave Mom a hug, kissed her forehead and said, "bye!" And then, "now stay out of trouble. "