Can you honestly remember a "perfect day" in your life? A day when everything went just as you wanted it to, and the world appeared to fall at your feet, asking, "what can I do to make things simply wonderful for you today?" A day when money just seemed like no object, life was full of wonder and suprizes. A long walk on an exotic beach with dolphins jumping in the distance. A cold beer and a warm breeze.... Love flowing your way in all kinds of new forms....people being kind and hopeful, and even the birds singing in harmony? Just for you. Remember that day? Me, neither.
But that is the lament of my mother. I hear it all the time "Why can't I just have ONE perfect day?"
To put it in context, her meaning is lot simpler than you or me. She doesn't waste time wishing she could win the lottery, or travel to exotic places or anything like that. Her idea of a perfect day is not having to go to the doctor's office, not having a nurse have to visit and prod and poke around her, not dealing with people in bad moods, not having to walk with a walker, not having to wear that stupid tubing on her face to have oxygen at night. Not having to take pills with every meal.
Humbling isn't it? Her perfect day would be one she had perhaps as recently as 2 years ago. When she could get down on the ground and weed. Or simply walk straight up the hill and pick the flowers on the edge of the woods. When she didn't have people traipsing in and out of her house all day to "watch" her.
Just a normal day, a perfect day, when she could do whatever she wanted to do.
So on Mother's Day, I wish her a perfect day. I know I can't make the pills or medical equipment go away. But I'll do my best to make sure that if she can't really do what she wants to do, she doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to do today. And maybe that will be a step toward a new kind of perfect day.
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