Welcome to Caregiver Friday!!
I’m not unlike many people around the world who have been spending their evenings in front of the television watching the Winter Olympics. It’s amazing that we’re coming to the end of the games, but I have to say I’ve seen some amazing sites that I want to speak about at this time.
We all have seen the parents and friends of the athletes who crowd the stands wanting to wish the athlete success. This Olympics has paid special attention to some of these family members as their loved one makes their run, takes their turn, hopes for a great game, or glides to perfection. I’ve been intrigued by watching the faces of these family members because it’s so revealing.
There was a men’s skier whose father was shown before and after each run. As his son went down the hill you could tell how the father was experiencing his own version of the event. There was a time when the son was disqualified for going through a gate instead of around and they showed the father’s reaction at least three times.
This story is important because you, the caregiver/wellness partner are the loved one in the stands. You watch and support the person you’re caring for and when things don’t go well you feel the pain deep in your soul, much like the episode of Star Trek with the empath. So why don’t you experience the victory when the patient does well?
It’s like the Three Musketeers (I’m into similes this morning), “All for one and one for all”. Do you live by that motto? I hope so because that means you have good days and possibly bad days just like the patient. To have only the bad days throws your system off-balance and that doesn’t help you in keeping up your own physical, mental, and emotional strength.
I hope you can take a tip from the families of the Winter Olympic athletes, and if you’re going to share the defeats that you also share the victories.
Pilgrim Pathway/Surviving Strong 