The satisfaction of small steps forward

This morning we were both booked to have a hair cut at 10am.  I mentioned this when we woke up then thought no more about it for a while.  At 9.20am Ash came through to say he was taking the dog for his morning walk.  As this usually takes 10 minutes I didn't mention the haircut but assumed he would be back in time to leave.  When he hadn't returned after 15 minutes I started to panic, not because I thought something had happened to him but because I hate to be late for anything.  I phoned the hairdresser to explain and then started planning what to say when he finally got home.  If I got it wrong he would immediately plummet into the depths of anxiety, blame himself for us being late and be miserable for the rest of the day.  I knew that he'd forgotten so decided to go by myself, leaving a note for him to say I'd gone to see a friend.  He wouldn't notice my hair when I got back and wouldn't be interested in where I'd gone so there would be nothing to explain and no traumas to go through.  If you are living with dementia in any shape or form you may recognise this whole scenario along with your own anxiety that goes with these situations but I'm here to tell you that just as I was ready to leave the house Ash came flying in explaining that he'd bumped into someone he hadn't seen for ages and couldn't get away.  He was ready to go and hoped we wouldn't be too late.  There was no stress, no anxiety, no blame taking, just an apology.  If you recognise the scenario you may be able to imagine not only my relief but also my joy in recognising once again how far we've come over the last few months.

I'm currently putting together a 'feelgood' playlist of songs for the winter.  The ones I have already are listed on the Facebook page along with some ideas from others.  If you have any to add please feel free to visit the page and add your own suggestions.  All will be gratefully received.

www.facebook.com/groups/1990374111022679/

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