It’s been a crazy busy two weeks since I last blogged here. In addition to volunteering for four 11 hour days as the swimming announcer at the Special Olympics 2014 Canada Summer Games and also watching my daughter complete her first sprint triathlon, I spent a great deal of time zipping back and forth visiting our 91-year-old mom in hospital. Whew! I know. But it gets even better, dear readers, so do sit down; it’s a doozy.
Ready?
On top of all that carry on apparently we need dish soap too!
Mon dieu.
Allow me enlighten you to yet another just typikel …
First up: Mom.
Her hospital stay stretched to 11 days as it took that long for her meds to be sorted. However Mom didn’t spend them constantly lying down. True to form she was soon up zipping about the ward behind a walker, popping into the tv room for soccer updates and introducing herself to all the nurses, care aids and fellow patients. If I heard it once I must have heard it a dozen times. “I’d never have guessed your mother was in her 90’s.”
The Belgium vs Argentina quarter-final had her meeting a friendly fellow patient who kept pointing to the screen and saying “Me France, Me France.” Of course Mom had her pegged her for having no English. As one might.
“I must communicate with her at the next game. Tell me how to ask her how she is in French.”
I witnessed that delight.
“Comment ca va?” bubbled my enthusiastic mother.
“Very well thank you. I am feeling stronger every day. Must be the delicious food and all that rest we are getting. Isn’t it wonderful?”
Very wonderful indeed. We learned she was born in France and raised in Canada … Of course.
I have to admit though that it wasn’t all smooth sailing with my mom. Her confidence took a huge beating from that second fall.
Of course it did. One minute she was recovering from the first unsettling fall and the next she was lying under the coffee table cursing the carpet. She’d been so careful with her new walker yet she’d fallen again. Her mind was naturally consumed with worry. Why was she falling and would she do it again?
Her release from hospital had her pondering her new reality. Caregivers would be needed but for how long and how many? She decided she’d be comfortable with two hours in the morning, two hours in the late afternoon and overnight.
That lasted 24 hours.
I got a phone call from her early on the second full day of her return home.
“We’ve been brainwashed. Absolutely brainwashed. They led us to believe I need help at night. But I certainly don’t. I can manage just fine on my own.”
Hence the scrapping of the night-time care giver. I’ll keep you posted on the necessity of the day time gals.
Second up: Special Olympics 2014 Canada Summer Games.
As their website states: “Established in 1969, the Canadian chapter of this international movement is dedicated to enriching the lives of Canadians with an intellectual disability through the transformative power and joy of sport.” As the announcer for swimming I was seated poolside; the best seats in the house.
The four days were long and oh so inspirational. Not only did the swimmers compete in the shorter swims but they also did the gruelling 200 meter butterfly and 400 meter freestyle. Not once did I hear a complaint from any of the athletes. It was with pure joy that they stepped on the blocks and waved to family and friends. After their swims they passed by my table and most of them either high-fived me or gleefully announced “I did my best!” The long days flew by.
I must have been a tad tired on the last day of the competition though. My dawn Starbuck barista greeted me with a rather puzzled look on her face and an interesting comment.
“Um. I ‘m sorry but I think you have your shirt on inside out.”
A cursory glance revealed the Special Olympics logo was indeed ensconced on the right side, not on the usual left. Again just typikel …
Third up: The Subaru Vancouver Triathlon. Happily this event also took place very close to my mother’s apartment. We could pop by for a cup of tea and a visit just after.
This was a rather special event as up until this summer my daughter was afraid of the open water. 12 years of competitive swimming in pools complete with black lines on the bottom and zero potential for sightings of fish or other aquatic creatures will do that do you. However, after recently completing a set of open water lessons she declared herself ready to tackle the Pacific Ocean.
We need dish soap.
Various family members were well aware of her trepidation and asked me to keep them abreast of her performance throughout the event. As a result I fired out endless updates. Everyone responded with energetic and positive enthusiasm.
“Fantastic. Let me know how she does on the bike!”
“Keep us posted for the run portion!”
“Hooray! Splendid effort!”
All except her brother. His response was remarkably different.
“We need dish soap.”
Can you say non sequitur?
Enough about me and my past two weeks. I’m curious about you. Got any choice, completely random and off topic non sequiturs in your bag of tricks? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
38 Responses
Isn’t that the way? Amid the crazy ups and downs of our days, we all still need to keep an eye on the supply dish soap. And toilet paper. Hope your mom is doing better. I think it must be so very difficult for someone who has been fiercely independent to accept the need for help. It must feel a little like giving up. Must be scary and sad. I hope it is a temporary bump in the road for your mom and that she will be back to full time journaling very soon. Also, way to go Meredith! And way to go Kelly – what a great celebration the Special Olympics provides.
Yes and toilet paper too … As usual you hit it bang on with regards to how Mom feels. All our crossables are crossed hoping that it is a temporary bump in the road. She played bridge for two hours a few days ago and said she felt pretty good. Next step is to pick up that paintbrush again!
Love this crazy life you live, although it has me a bit disappointed. I thought things would eventually sl-o-o-o-ow down. And yet, between you and your Mom, it appears that the pace just keeps picking up, up, up. Needless to say, you go, girl(s)! (Now get some dish soap, Mom, huh? HA!)
Oh thank you for the smile! It does sl-o-o-o-w down somewhat for a weensy bit and then it zooooooms back up again. I’ll miss it when Fall comes and the quiet descends once again I’m sure. As for the dish soap well guess who got to buy it with his very own money? ;)))
I needed this update about your enthralling mummah, and enfant terrible ( avec francais…) hee hee, thanks Kelly..
You’re welcome Nonie! Thanks for your kind words and for being such a loyal reader. I really appreciate it!
Oh my – what a summer you’ve had so far. Hope the next few weeks calm a bit.
Best of luck w/ your mother – getting old is not easy for anyone in the family.
As Mom says “getting old is Hell.” Mind you she didn’t start saying it until a couple of months ago … It has been a busy summer and I so glad we are only half way through. Lots of things to look forward to coming up. I’ll pass on your kind words to Mom. Thanks Kate.
With all your swim meet experience I’m sure you were the PERFECT announcer! My DIL has done triathlons (including an Ironman) but she’s never swum in an ocean.
Oh thank you Kathy. I had the odd spot of trouble in the late afternoons I must confess. Instead of announcing “there’s been a disqualification” I found myself saying “there’s been a cancellation.” Folks began to wait for it. Ooops. Good on your DIL – an Ironman is HUGE. Ocean or not!
Oh my, what a time and the best line of all that you need dish soap. Uh huh, life goes on. How wonderful is the mission statement for the Special Olympics including the “transformative power and joy of sport.” You have inspired me, Typikel. Thank you and I’ll bet you are prepared for what ever comes up next with the biggest bottle of dish soap Costco has to offer. 😉
Isn’t that just the best line of all? We need dish soap. Ok then.
WOW, you have been busy!! When I saw the title in my email I had to laugh. Good for you for the volunteering, and congrats to your daughter! And I’m happy your mom is home. She’s so cute. 🙂
Thanks Beth. We no longer need dish soap thankfully. My son was reduced to picking up the smallest bottle known to man …
In times of joy, in times of strife, the little ordinary duties of life continue. I know that I sometimes don’t add my voice to the crowd when all are agreed–that one cheer or condolence seems unnecessary, and I have other matters that need discussion.
Good to hear your point of view and yes, the other side of the coin. Thanks for popping by and leaving a comment!
I HAD been thinking of you and wondering why I hadn’t heard of any news. I was going to tweet you, but I don’t think you roll like that? Anyhoo, glad for a busy if too busy couple weeks!
Oh but I do tweet Katy. Love it in fact. I’ll follow you asap!
Oh how I have missed your just Typikel way of expressing life.
Really thrilled your Mum is home, hope you are not all brainwashed and yes i see our daughter in her pink swim cap. MMMMM!!!!!!
Welcome back
Thanks Karen. We are weening ourselves from what I like to call “hospital brain.” That mindset that kicks in when your world is pretty much the four walls (curtains?) of your room and the nearby folk with whom you engage. Mom played bridge for 2 hours the other day with her regular group. She felt guilty having to call quits an hour early but her pals were delighted she lasted that long. Played well apparently too! Smiling at your eagle eyes being able to spot my swimmer in her pink cap …
Wow, you have had quite the summer so far ! I am so proud of you for your Special Olympics volunteering, that is awesome! Please pass on my congrats to your daughter on her triathalon too, well done !! Do hope your Mum is soon back to her wonderful, vibrant self.
Thanks Jane. SOBC (I’m so with the lingo) was a lot of fun and I met some really nice people. The athletes’ smiles and their confidence were an added bonus. Must tell you about the Quebec team tootling down to Wreck Beach … They got so much more than just the expected sunset …
WOW!!!
Catching up on 2 weeks is like a year in my world!!! So glad that your mom is doing well enough to not need a night time aid!!!
So – how did your daughter do?! (and your son seriously sent a text about soap?!!!!)
BTW – I’m a total idiot – I didn’t know you lived in Canada (or I forgot).
Hahaha – You didn’t suspect I was a Canuck? Funny. Yep – born and bred. My daughter did well thank you. As the biking is her weakest of the three she surged on this weekend and did a 50 k today. I’m a proud mama. I’ll zip over and catch up with you and your crew in just a bit. Thanks Kim – I’ll pass on your kind words to Mom.
Last night my daughter proclaimed with horror, “We have absolutely no apples in the house!” I can’t remember the last time that happened – she eats one or two daily. I suppose now that we’ve been back from the beach for almost a week it’s time to go to the grocery store.
Glad your mom is home now; it was good to catch up with you, Kelly. And kudos to the barista for telling you about your shirt. I’ve spend many hours with spinach in my teeth before someone told me. Lovely.
Oh this comment makes me smile. “We have absolutely no apples in the house.” Trust you’ve restocked with a bushell. Yes I too have been known to pack around spinach in my teeth = it is indeed lovely to look in the rearview mirror and spot it wedged between the teeth. I should go back and give that barista a very special tip, shouldn’t I?
I sure hope “mama” continues to improve and gain her self confidence back….ya know we all need a little help from time to time. I’ve fallen out of our RV at least 3 times since we bought it and I can’t blame it on medication….just plain clumsy! Our big surprise this week…our refrigerator decided it had enough and just plain ‘pooped’ out on us. Thank goodness we have two….yup…our RV came with two refrigerators…that was a big selling point for us. Having to cram all our ‘goodies’ into one now….not so much fun…but this too shall pass…with a call to the RV repair man and I’m sure the handing over of a big wad of cash! Oh….I’m outta of flour….but the strawberry shortcakes were soooooo good!
Whoa – you are blessed to have two refrigerators Debbie! I hope the repair is a simple one. You know you made me smile with your “this too shall pass…” Favourite line of both my late dad and my late husband. Happily we’ve restocked on the dishsoap and just yesterday the baking soda. So we are good to go. Enjoy those strawberry shortcakes! They sound heavenly.
The barista rocked for telling you that your shirt was on inside out – I always tell people stuff like that because too many times, they haven’t told me!! I’m so glad your mom is doing well – 11 days in the hospital is a long long time but it sounds like she handled it like a champ and made tons of new friends. She’s so awesome. Good to catch up with you from this post, Kelly! And do you now have three bottles of dish soap under the sink? 😉
I know right? Thank god she told me. I was sitting front and centre and everyone would have noticed (except me of course) had she not. Re the soap stock – you’ll be horrified to know we just have the smallest bottle known to man on hand. My son bought it (hahaha! Love that!) and of course he didn’t shell out the big bucks for the larger size … no … he went for the smallest. Must have been hard to find = I don’t think I’ve ever seen one this small before. I’ll pick up a jumbo version on our next trip to Costco…
I love it – we’ve all been brainwashed. That one really made me laugh. Sending lots of love to you and your mom, and huge congratulations to your daughter! I play in the ocean but never actually swim there, so big kudos to her.
Thank you Linda! I’m like you – I play (dabble really) in the ocean but don’t really swim there. Can’t believe I used to “turtle” sailboats on purpose and leap off the docks and the sailboats so I could swim. Hopefully my daughter will keep swimming in the ocean for a long, long time!
Hi Kelly! I’m coming late to the party here. Just wanted to say that I hope your mom is doing better. So glad to hear you’re having fun with Special Olympics! Some of my siblings participated in it years ago — a wonderful opportunity!
Lovely to have your late arrival Harmony. I’m off to read your latest posts.The Special Olympics are amazing to watch. Can only imagine how wonderful it must be for the athletes. So great your siblings partook!
Boy, life does go on doesn’t it? Sure hope your Mom is doing better, she sounds like she has things under control! And congrats to your daughter on her Triathlon. My daughter is also a triathlete so I know how much training they put into that sport, they are amazing.
That’s so cool your daughter does triathlons too Sue. It is a ton of work but she is really enjoying it and making wonderful friends too! Mom is doing much better thanks. She just phoned to report she is stopping the dinner time help – and only going with morning help now. Huge step!
What fun. Your Mom sounds like a real pistol. Sounds like you’ve been a busy person!
She is a pistol Amy. You got it in one.