I’m A Really Lucky Person

I really do try to be a good person. Really. That being said, I absolutely identify as “100% that bitch” (thanks, Lizzo) with great pride, because I recognize that sometimes I need to unleash something unholy to get things done. But, generally, I’m a good person. I do not, however, deserve the incredible good luck I’ve had, and I am very lucky.

REPEAT: I do not, however, deserve the incredible good luck I’ve had, and I am very lucky.

My goal for today is to help you see how lucky you are as well, so that when the difficult and stressful things in The Job try to weigh you down, you can reflect on some of these items, and remember how truly fortunate you are. 

Examples Of Your Luck

The first thing you need to do is to zero in on examples of just how lucky you truly are. No matter how bleak things are looking for you right now, I want you to sit back and contemplate all of the ways that you are one lucky son of a gun. 

I Married Really Well

How about you? I’ve got an absolutely incredible husband and partner in Sweet Husband. He is kind and gentle and understanding and infinitely patient with all of my travel schemes and The Job. If this is a way in which you are fortunate, take a minute right now and tell them! Literally…yell to them how much you love them. I’ll wait…

We Can Pay Our Bills

I hope you are finding ways to negotiate the increased costs associated with The Job, and you aren’t stressed financially. If you are “making it” with a little extra left over each month, give yourself a pat on the back! It ain’t easy!

My Horoscope Says So

Between the fortune cookies and the daily horoscope, I’m destined to have a very happy day today…and tomorrow…and the day after. Maybe it’s all hokey, but that little added positivity can be all I need to make it an even better day.

We’re Pretty Healthy

Doing The Job requires me to be at the top of my game at all times, so I am very happy that I’ve got great health. It may not be perfect for Sweet Husband and I, but we are doing just fine for 57. How about you?

Nanny and the Lottery

Okay, so I lost at Bingo this morning, but my grandmother, Nanny, was super lucky at all things gambling! She loved “playing her numbers” and from her I’ve learned an appreciation for numbers lining up and stars aligning. For example, when Pop turned 77 on 7/7/07, we ALL went to the casino!

Sooooo…..

Did any of that resonate with you? If nothing else, are you hunting up a good Bingo game for this evening? I purposefully search out positivity in everything, because the negativity is going to be there no matter what, so I try to minimize it by finding the good in everything. Now that you’ve identified some ways that you personally are pretty lucky, let’s move on to things that are positive in your working life on The Job that we can concentrate on. I use this list to remind Mom of the positives in her life when she is down in the dumps. Maybe it will help you and your loved one, as well. 

Nest Egg

Mom isn’t broke. Thank you to my dead Pop for creating financial comfort out of an uneducated, blue collar existence. Due to some savvy investing, a lot of reading and tremendous trust in the system and our economy, Mom has enough money to see her through this incredibly difficult ending to her story.

While many people do not have the luxury of financial security that Mom has, hopefully you have worked out a system with your loved one’s estate so that they can be cared for in a suitable location without bankrupting you or them. If your loved one is of limited means, there are a number of organizations that can help them: They can qualify for Supplemental Society Security, food stamps, HUD housing assistance and Medicaid to just name a few. Research services available in your location—you’ll be surprised what your loved one can qualify for sometimes! 

Hopefully, your loved one has something of a Nest Egg to fall back on. If that is the case, your primary responsibility is to be a good steward of those funds. For this, you might need additional assistance. If you don’t have someone of your own that you can rely on for guidance, I’d start at the local Senior Citizen Center for recommendations. In my experience, the Senior Center will have a wealth of information and contacts that can help you and your family navigate this difficult time and minimize the tax implications of that money.  

Insurance Coverage

While it is the majority, not everyone doing The Job is working with a senior citizen. Hopefully whomever you are responsible for has adequate insurance coverage. This is another avenue that the Senior Center will be able to help you with, if you need guidance. Make certain your loved one has supplemental insurance, as well, since this could be extremely important depending on their overall health. 

I am extremely fortunate that Pop’s 32 years of service as an Army Reservist qualified him and Mom for lifetime insurance benefits. While my parents both benefited from this perk, it wasn’t Pop’s original plan—he stayed in the Reserves because of his love for country and his belief in our democratic society.  The insurance wasn’t a factor then, but I’m so lucky Mom has it now. 

Great Genes

Are you lucky with great genes for longevity? Maybe nobody in your family has fallen victim to cancer, or heart disease—how lucky you are! The luckiest among us are those that haven’t been exposed to dementia and Alzheimers.

How did this happen?

I definitely find the generation above me—the “Greatest Generation” to be really hardy souls. My parents’ friends all seemed to last a long time, and enjoyed fantastic health overall. That is extremely lucky for you, since the greatest predictor of your future health lies in your ancestors! I’ve got longevity on both sides, so I’m definitely in it for the long haul (unless I get hit by a bus…).

What’s your future?

“The greatest predictor of the future is the past” – Dr. Phil. It is so true! In addition to the anecdotal record of your genetics from your ancestors, we now have the ability to proactively attack our potentially fatal diseases. Doctors can find evidence of cancer earlier—or even before it strikes—and modern medicine has given us so many ways to stave off bad health. 

What can you do right now?

We are lucky that medical professionals are now able to guide us to better health for a longer period of time. It wasn’t that long ago smoking was “prescribed” for weight loss and wine helped a nervous pregnant woman! Now doctors can help us minimize the potential for heart disease, diabetes and other medical conditions. Research now shows us how beneficial it is to walk and keep active long into our senior years. 

Years Of Memories

My decades-long dedication to The Job has made it even more important that I remember the good times. When Pop was alive, we spent many evenings around the kitchen table talking and laughing about things that had happened recently and decades ago. Now that Pop is gone, I’m lucky to have heard those stories while I could. 

Particularly with Mom, who can’t remember what she had for lunch anymore. I am the keeper of the details, the names, the dates, the activities we shared. Every single visit to Mom is now a trip down memory lane—even if I wasn’t born for whatever the story is I need to fill in. It’s not always easy anymore to see how lucky I am when Mom is having a bad day, but that is the time it is most important for me to remember things!

The other day she was railing against her younger sister for something that happened when the sister was six. Mom was so mad, and she decided not to talk to that sister anymore. It could’ve been a sad visit for me, but instead I asked for every detail of why she was so mad at my Aunt. Through her telling me the details—whether they were real or not—I got a glimpse into her youth, since in her story she was no more than 12 years old. She talked about where they lived, and what her sister had done that her mom (Nanny) never even found out about. 

Tons Of Pictures

I took a picture yesterday of Mom and Robber Baron at The Facility. It’s a really great picture of them, but you can see in the lines on her face and the confusion in her eyes that things are slowly winding down. That doesn’t make me sad, though, but I feel lucky that she was able to enjoy a short visit with one of her youngest grandchildren.  She didn’t remember his name, or where he lived, but she touched his cheek in that familiar way, and leaned in for a kiss. 

Photos are all over my house. Current. Old. Really old. We’ve got them all. Looking at pictures makes me extremely happy, and brings back to the forefront so many memories that I remember fondly. Every time I look at a photo, I am thankful that it was taken. Whether it’s a good shot of me, or a bad shot of my backside, I’m thankful it was taken. Those are moments in time that might otherwise be forgotten, but now can find new life on my wall. 

Take pictures. You won’t regret it. 

Count Your Own Blessings

So did I spark anything for you? I sure hope you’ve thought of a few things that make you the luckiest person alive. There are, for sure, things that have befallen you that you don’t deem to be “lucky”, but hopefully they were sprinkled with four-leaf clovers. Hopefully Venus is in Mars this month, and your fortune cookie bodes well.

I’m hoping the ghost of Nanny will join me at Bingo. Wish me luck~

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR

Wow! You made it! Thank you for reading about getting lucky in eldercare!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out when to check your bowels, here, or see me answering your emails, here! Or, check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

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