At peace with myself

I've discovered that to live comfortably with dementia you must first be at peace with yourself and this goes for both the person with dementia and those of us once removed.  Before I learnt this I would race through life being busy, searching for things to do, places to visit and people to be with.  There was no time to 'just be', no room for contentment and no space for watching the world go by.  I was always looking for a new experience, planning the next holiday, waiting for the next social event. 

There is a poem by W H Davies which says it all I think:

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

This life we are now experiencing is much better, I have realised, if I make time to stand and stare, if I take things slowly, if I go with the flow, if I appreciate what we have, if I accept invitations when they come but settle for life at home if they don't.  As I have slowed down so has life around us and this makes things so much easier for Ash which in turn makes life better for both of us.  The thing is that Ash always knew this.  He was the reason I wasn't quite as frantic as I could have been and sometimes I wish I had taken note sooner but then I think that there is a time for everything and my time for taking life one day at a time is now.

You can now leave comments on this blog so if you have anything you want to share or any questions you want to ask please feel free.  If you would like comment without sharing with the rest of the world then email me at memoryfortwo@gmail.com

There are also some interesting articles (at least I find them interesting) on the facebook page if you want to have a look.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1990374111022679/