We were having a nice day and got stuck in traffic coming home. On the way her phone rang and she was driving so she declined the call with a sigh. “I feel so bad for him,” she said.
“You know that number?”
She did. It turns out her phone number had previously belonged to a woman named Serena. The man calling was her dad. He had Alzheimer’s and didn’t remember his daughter was dead, so he just called the number he knew was hers.
I was stricken to hear this. “Do you talk to him?”
“Yeah. Sometimes he thinks I’m her and we talk. I have a notebook with facts I’ve learned about her so I can connect with him better. Sometimes he knows I’m not her and I say I’m her friend.”
I struggled with the beauty and humanity of this for a moment. “What’s his name?”
“I don’t know; I just call him Dad.”
We sat in silence and I was overwhelmed with feelings. That she was so kind and thoughtful about this random connection. A man who called and spoke to her with love for the daughter he missed.
“One time,” she added, “he called me just after I had a difficult day with my mom. I knew Serena and her mom had a rocky relationship so I talked to him about my frustrations with my own mother and he gave the following advice: ‘Everyone fails sometimes, even parents; what’s important is to communicate with our loved ones, even when it’s difficult.’
“I have never forgotten that advice and it healed a portion of my heart.”
tumblr is not social media. idk how to explain but its so calm here. like this is the field and the valleys. over there is the town and people. but here we are little sheep in our pastures eating our grass and laying in the sun <3
hot take possibly? but i actually think it’s okay for things to be marketed for adults. it’s literally okay if things aren’t suitable for children. i feel like we are losing the plot
i just wanted to say you’re not gross if you deal with gastrointestinal issues. even if people treat your symptoms and disorders like they’re disgusting, they’re not. they’re genuine health problems- health includes your entire body. if you are having issues digesting/processing foods, eating, controlling your bowels or having diarrhea or constipation issues or frequent gas and bloating, you’re not gross. if you need a colostomy bag, you’re not gross. if you need to use diapers you’re not gross. if you frequently vomit you’re not gross. if you deal with acid reflux and chronic heartburn you’re not gross.
people and even doctors will treat people with these kinds of issues like we’re disgusting but we’re just people with health issues. a GI issue is no less worthy of attention than a broken bone. it doesn’t matter where it’s located in the body you still need help with it. there are many issues people can have with digestion that aren’t necessarily “gross” and they don’t deserve to be looked down on. you deserve care and respect from everyone in your life. you don’t deserve to be treated like your health problems don’t matter
