I am not fearless by any means, though I do love a challenge. A puzzle. A dilemma. I like to work through the mystery and solve it for myself. But in reality I want to know what to expect when I go into a new situation.
That's not always possible though. Not every situation has been "gone through" before by people that I know. Or at least not in the same way as I'm facing.
For example, my dad is in assisted living and doesn't want to be there. He hates the food. He thinks the staff is out to get him and have no respect for him. He says he's living in the wrong state because of the demographics where he is. He wants to move to a different state, therefore. But he can't.
I'm his primary caregiver and responsible for his care, finances, health, etc. He needs to be nearby so I can supervise. But dang, it's hard to listen to his complaints without feeling bad that's he's just stuck where he is.
It's his own fault, actually, but he won't see that. He didn't plan for this to happen, I know that. But heck, he didn't plan for his retirement in any concrete, financial way.
So, my sweet hubby and I are doing all we can for my dad and to plan for our own retirement so that we don't (hopefully) end up in this situation, too.
This challenge of caregiving for my dad as he steps unsteadily into his 9th decade is not the kind of challenge that I enjoy. But it's one that we chose when he moved in with us in 1992 and then had to move him to assisted living in 2008. It's tough, but someone's got to do it.
What challenges are you faced with that you didn't expect to end up the way they are?
