first push, round food and Multiple Sclerosis

Another New Year’s Day and time to turn the page on the “wall of all bullshit” as Patti jokingly refers to her oversized wall calendar.

Arriving at Patti’s care facility with her 2013 wall calendar I was somewhat surprised by the interest of several other residents in the calendar. Where do you get Patti her calendars? Where can we get one?

Long ago in the homecare era I started buying them because of Patti’s fading vision. Now in the care facility era while Patti can no longer even read something this big I know that aides, nurses, and even Patti’s doctor will refer to it when asking her about outings, important dates, and visitors.

New Year’s traditions are curious to say the least. There is enough Scot DNA in me to justify a care facility variation of “first footing” I’ll just label “first pushing”. The tradition is about visiting/pushing and it’s considered particularly lucky if a tall, dark, and handsome man is the first to push your wheelchair after the new year is rung in. J Then again Patti is legally blind and will forget anything shortly so whether I was a hobbit or Clark Gable the pusher was soon insignificant as the year’s first push and roll became even luckier enveloped in snow flurries.

Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," Additionally in the US, pork is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Sooo we finished off the first outing of the new year with an all-round dinner of pancakes with pork sausage patties on round plates followed by donuts for dessert.

After returning Patti, preparing her for bed, transferring her myself from wheelchair to bed and tucking her in I left the cover page of the 2013 calendar at the nurse’s station just in case the interested residents wanted to let their families or friends know (or any reader is interested) the calendar is available at At-A-Glance, item # PM4-28, 20” X 30” XL, 2013 Wall Calendar.

Patrick Leer

Caregivingly Yours, MS Caregiver @ http://caregivinglyyours.blogspot.com/

My Lung Cancer Odyssey @ http://lung-cancer-survivor.blogspot.com/

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