DOING THE RIGHT THING
People talk about, “doing the right thing.”
What is the right thing?
Who determines what the right thing is?
And is the right thing for me the same as the right thing for you?
I don’t know.
But I would bet that 9 out of 10 Caregivers will tell you that they are doing the right thing. The 10th Caregiver was too busy Caregiving to respond. Whether a conscious decision was made to become a Caregiver or a need arose and there were no other options; the Caregiver steps up to “do the right thing.”
The right thing is not necessarily the easy thing. Actually, it is usually the most difficult thing.
Doing the right thing is hard sometimes.
Doing the right thing is not always the first thing one would choose to do—if given a choice.
I wake up in the morning as a Caregiver and often my first thought is—I don’t want to do this, and I wish I could just lay here comfortably in bed.
And each morning, I do the right thing and get up to attend to my Mother’s morning needs.
I often encounter a mess of some kind—a clogged toilet, an accidental spill or simply something that must be cleaned up immediately.
The first morning conversation with my Mom can sometimes be pleasant but most of the time not.
Still, I do the right thing and clean up the mess, administer medication and entertain chatter on subjects of which I have no interest.
I spend the entire day monitoring someone else’s life while spending little to no time participating in my own.
I prepare meals that I would prefer not to eat and endure a climate control which in no manner takes my body temperature into consideration.
Knowingly or unknowingly, at every turning point during the day, I put my Mom’s needs, wants and wishes first—ahead of my own.
As a Caregiver, I instinctively do what I think is the “right thing.”
And I believe that most Caregiver’s would say the same thing in similar yet different circumstances.
Caregiving is all about doing the right thing.
Yet the questions remain the same.
Who determines what is the right thing?
Is the right thing for you the same as the right thing for me?
Is the right thing for one Caregiver the same as the right thing for another Caregiver?
Probably not…
Yet each Caregiver will answer when asked, “Yes, I think that I am doing the right thing.”
No one can disagree without walking in the Caregiver’s shoes.
As a Caregiver, “Are you doing the right thing?”
Only a Caregiver’s Conscience knows for sure.
CARLY SIMON – “THE RIGHT THING TO DO”
https://youtu.be/Onhpc59Wtso?si=Xup3hRmu1JIY1Uo-
A CAREGIVER’S CONSCIENCE PODCAST – “DOING MY BEST CAREGIVING”
https://youtu.be/ar1XjOYeKb4?si=dMfzWY9eL5qFIxj2
A CAREGIVER’S CONSCIENCE – THE BLOG
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