A Cautionary Tale

After a mid-morning run to Starbucks, I decided to detour through the Community Room and head for the scale in the Game Room before returning to my unit. I’ve been stuck at 11 pounds down for a while now and, though I’ve lost some inches, I was getting a little antsy about not losing any more weight when I've got so much more to lose.

Before I could make my way to the Game Room, surprised to see so many residents gathered in the Community Room, I stopped to check-in.

Nothing special was happening, just a rehashing of old news. Though the resident who use to own a restaurant whispered in my ear about a surprise gathering 11:00 Friday to celebrate the birthday of the resident I refer to in the blog as The Seer – because she has contacts who keep her apprised of everything about everyone, including management.

Good thing I checked in. The Seer’s birthday is Sunday, so I was planning to surprise her with a birthday cake on Monday to do with as she wished – share with others or take home for self and visiting relatives.

So though the scale did show I’ve dropped another pound, for a total of 12, I’ll probably gain that pound back, and then some, on Friday because I volunteered to bring fried chicken and potato salad – which another resident gave me money to go in on.

While I was there, in the Community Room, I asked around if anyone was present who lived in the “G Building” or knew anyone in that building who could look in on the 92 year old from time-to-time --- the senior I’d encountered in need of assistance on Sunday.

Everyone present knew her, one woman lives two units away, around the corner, but is quite elderly herself and not able to look in on the senior and added, “She’s too mean anyway”.

What!?

Conversation went from there with folks talking about how mean that senior has proven herself to be in the past and how that’s why she can’t keep a home aide and why neighbors in her building avoid her.

Wow!

I should have figured out for myself that there was a reason the senior is alone and friendless. She herself told me, “No one around here will talk to me … My son in Hawaii never calls … My son in Oakland always says he’ll come by to see me, but I never see him.”

Those statements alone from her own mouth should have clued me in because, as a spiritual teacher once told me, “You create our own reality … What you do today – actions, words, deeds, determines your tomorrow."

There's a reason your neighbors could care less, a reason your children neglect you. Still it’s sad to see her in the position she’s in this late in life, and a reminder to check my own inventory.