In my day-to-day, I appreciate the moments that make me STOP and find the gratitude.

Patch Work
The apartment complex, any complex, has required maintenance. Now, I define required in my world as taking the initiative to repair that which is not always on a list and/or forgotten about on a list. These are “simple” wear and tear fixer uppers to keep the property value up. Yes! It’s pretty! And I know that this complex blessed to have a grounds keeper and a maintenance man that know how-to do about 90% of the jobs right. The remaining 10% does required the specialist to step in at times, for example, a plumber or electrician. Therefore, check out this picture….

I specifically put forward a directive to use concrete. Get this project done that I have been asking for since August 2022. Typically, these types of projects, other than found on a list etc, I now term as “dangling participles”, it helps me laugh. Sooo, when I was almost done walking the complex and came across this, I had to breath and relax. Then I found the maintenance person and laid into said person by expressing this, ASPHALT, defeated the whole purpose of fixing, especially for the elder who has to use this long walk way with a rolling walker. Needless to say, the dangling participle will be like this till the 21st when “proper supplies” arrive at Ace Hardware.

She Got Vacationed
It is always a sad moment assisting a tenant’s relatives through the process of cleaning out a unit when a tenant passes away; such was a case this week.

The relative had been in touch with the caregiver off and on giving instructions of what to clean up and out. (Gratitude!) The relative makes it into town, begins working with the caregiver, who mind you only worked with the tenant three months tops, and within a few hours maybe 20% of the unit was packed, ready to be donated to Goodwill. The relative doesn’t want to see us follow our policy of take it all to the dump. (Kudos!) After those few hours, the relative then comes to the office letting me know that she has PAID the caregiver to keep going till the end of the week for cleaning it out. Okay. Good. Thank you. She then gives the line, “yeah, she says she is going on vacation…”, I stopped listening at that point. I smiled shook my head and looked back at her to tune back into the conversation for the instructions to continue respecting the wishes of the tenant’s relative. Thankfully, I was not questioned as to the why there was a smile and shaking of my head, but I’ll share it here.

When this caregiver doesn’t want to do the work anymore or is seeking a way out of working when assignments come up, she uses the vacation phrase. After a few days, she seeks comfort of her decisions when the money isn’t flowing by lashing out or saying life isn’t fair.

All in all, I have learned to review my Advance Medical Directive and a few other items. This tenant had told her daughter that she had a caregiver for two years, which was not the case. She needed more help than she was getting and all those caregivers in between, it appears, just …well…it is always sad assisting relatives through the last parts and memories from time to time.

Use your tools. Be your joy and gratitude. Much Love.