Ten Years of our Journey

April 23, 2023, 9:00 pm, 41F (5C), Mostly cloudy

It will be 10 years tomorrow, as Sumi was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s on April 24, 2013 by her neurologist.

As we enter the 11th year of our Journey, one advise her neurologist gave me, and I took it to my heart and has been able to follow it to the tee over the last 10 years, was “Keep Sumi on a daily schedule.”

I think that simple advice has sustained Sumi over the last 10 years. One can say:

પોપટ ભૂખ્યો નથી, પોપટ તરસ્યો નથી
પોપટ આંબાની ડાળ, પોપટ સરોવરની પાળ
પોપટ કાચી કેરી ખાય, પોપટ પાકી કેરી ખાય
પોપટ ટહૂકા કરે

(The meaning of the above tale from the children’s book in the Gujarati language).

Once a baby parrot was asked by his mother to find his way around on his own. The baby parrot flies away and after a long flight reaches a mango tree by the pond. From the top of the mango tree the parrot shouts at the passerby asking them to tell his mother, “Parrot is not hungry, parrot is not thirsty, parrot is on the mango tree by the pond, parrot is eating unripe mangos, parrot is eating ripe mangos and parrot is parroting with joy from the mango tree.”

When someone is doing fine, this story of the parrot is told).

Your wholehearted encouragement, support and kind words has endured me and provided an opportunity for self-healing, personal growth and has sustained me thorough some of the difficult patches of our Journey. Whether taking time to visit, inviting us over, going out for dinner or bringing home-cooked meals, calling me to talk, giving a respite during my travels, contributing to my posts, guidance from you and fellow caregivers, and much more . . . Thank you for traveling with me in this Journey of ours.