Making Friends- by Janell, CAREGiver and Guest Blogger

I love the first day of meeting a new client. Today, I met Mrs. W a fiery little lady who has trouble getting around because of severe arthritis.

Note to self ~ be thankful every day.

Mrs. W is one of those women I immediately like. She speaks her mind. No two ways about it. She lets you know how things should be done. But in a nice way. She was a special education teacher for the same school for over 25 years. She knows patience and she’s seen a thing or two. She has learned to laugh and love and show discipline by using both. I watched as she showed me how she wanted her laundry done. Never mind the fact that she stood at the washer and did it all herself while I watched. “Call me crazy,” she said “but I like things a certain way.”
Note to self ~ Hot means Cold and Cold means Hot on her washing machine dial.

Mrs. W promptly showed me her cleaning supplies. “You can never go wrong with dusting,” she said. Mrs W is something of a collector. She collects nativity scenes, plants and lots and lots of family pictures. Shining faces, smiling, happy faces of those she loves and those who love her back. They were everywhere. The walls, every available shelf held photos of family members, young and old.
Note to self ~ Mrs. W is one loving lady with a lot of strong family ties.

As I remade her bed with clean linens fresh from the dryer, I carefully tried to reconstruct the bed just as I had taken apart. I wanted to remember which pillows went in the white pillow cases and which ones went in the colored pillow cases. I found myself really wanting to get it right to please her.
Note to self ~ Mrs. W really likes baby powder sprinkled on the bed BEFORE the sheets are put on.

So… she helped me take it apart and this time we did it the right way. And she laughed telling me she had no idea why she liked it that way. She had always done it that way. Her husband had asked her about it once and she had told him if he didn’t like it, he could sleep somewhere else!!! She grinned at me, “But he never did so I guess he learned to like it too!”

I never begrudge anyone the way they like to have things done. I just wish there was some magic way to know without having to be told. But it’s the learning about each other that makes it special and remembering that behind every little nuance of “how” something is done – there is more than likely a little humor to go with it. And that's what helps me remember for each client.

Like when Mrs. W and I went to the grocery store. Halfway, through the store, she suddenly remembered the bakery. Mrs. W LOVES the long johns from the bakery that are covered in frosting – not glazed. And she will buy all that the bakery has that day. Today, there are only 4 and I see disappointment in her face.
Note to self ~ Remind Mrs W to start on the bakery side next grocery trip before her favorite long johns are all gone!

And I can’t wait to remind her next trip so we can laugh about it together.