Monday, February 14, 2011

Memory loss, valentines, Disney hell or heaven

Patti is subject to a unique media and social barrage of Valentine’s Day hype in that her short term memory loss repeatedly wipes the old etch-a-sketch in her head clean then refills it and on and on.  Valentine’s Day, for personal reasons is not a favorite of mine, yet as a caregiver I try to take a path of stoic indifference to my own feelings. Whether Multiple Sclerosis related or ‘selective’ memory loss, we both arrived at the same point - any excuse for an outing is a holiday.
                                    
Restaurants may be accessible but on a night as crowded as Valentine’s Day a wheelchair may as well be a tank in a street demonstration.

So we decided why not eat desert first. Stopping by Helena’s Chocolate Café and Creperie in Carlisle, PA for a chocolate fix we found it surprisingly not crowded and ended up enjoying a chocolate dinner. Chocolate and strawberry crepe washed down with hot dark chocolate for Patti and a chocolate crepe and café mocha for me. As the crepes were prepared one at a time we were easily able to appear to share our food (taste this) rather than me help feed Patti. 
                      
Telling Patti about a news story of a guy suing Disneyland for being stranded on “It’s a Small World” ride, Patti laughed and laughed as she ‘remembered’ that pre-MS the same thing had happened to us, except at Disney World no one was evacuated and the dolls just kept singing and singing.

Stranded? No way! I was in Disney Heaven clapping and singing along with the dolls while Patti and others were in Disney Hell ready to tear their brains out.  Thank God there were children aboard as I had a growing suspicion my boat mates were considering throwing me overboard.

As we laughed over the memory, I thought of the decades since and well …
“it's a world of laughter, a world of tears
its a world of hopes, its a world of fear
there’s so much that we share
that its time we're aware
its a small world after all”

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer 

4 comments:

  1. I like your order of dinner, Patrick. Dessert seems fitting to do first and what a scrumptiously delicious one it sounded like!! Too funny about being stuck on Its a Small World. Bet it took DAYS to get the song out of your head :)

    but it truly is a small world after all and we even in our differences, are more alike than we are not

    take care of yourself

    betty

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  2. Now that's my kind of meal! I'm glad you have some funny memories that you can share with Patti.
    Peace,
    Muff

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  3. Chocolate is a great memory for now :) Yeah we have those Disney memories also. I do wonder about my cognitive abilities?? Laughing is the best Valentine of all.
    kim

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  4. What a lovely story. Yes, a time of laughing can be the most precious memory of all.

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