Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Max and June

This morning they stayed home.
I didn’t make them go to the Y
for spaghetti and meatballs
or attend a senior yoga class.
Instead,
I let them stay in their room and watch “Some Like It Hot.”
Neither of them wanted to go out in to the cold.
They were both happy with their bag of air popped popcorn, their corn beef sandwiches,
and a bowl of soup.
I didn’t worry that they needed stimulation
or that they would get charged for a lunch they didn’t
show up to eat.
I just let them stay home.
After all,
it’s their lives.
There comes a point when I have to stop trying to get them
to be and do what I would like them to be
and just accept them for who they are:
A man with Alzheimer’s
and a woman with dementia.