Stepping Up to The Plate

Scheduling surgery of any kind is not an easy task with so many considerations to weigh. So, in the end, I grabbed the first date available for my left hip replacement surgery. The Friday before Thanksgiving seemed as good as any. Unfortunately, my choice screwed up secret plans my daughter was making to celebrate her oldest son’s 15th birthday, which would occur the Monday following my surgery. However, in my opinion, it all turned out to be a gift of a different sort for this just-short-of-6-feet tall teenager.

I needed someone to stay with me, especially the first few days after surgery. Everyone in the family works full time, including an attorney with his own law firm, an on-duty CalFire Battalion Chief, and a Vice President for a Construction Services company. Consequently, my daughter suggested her oldest son, who immediately agreed to the arrangement even though it overlapped with his birthday. I was beyond grateful, especially when with twinkling eyes he’d remind me, “Don’t forget, Grams, I’ll be taking care of you!”

Behaviors of mid-teenage boys run the gamut of their interests and emotions, and attention span is not a sure thing on any given day. Nevertheless, my stepping-up-to-the-plate grandson has always been especially loving and attentive to me, so I knew he was just who I needed during this vulnerable time of my recovery.

To help things run smoothly I made an hourly chart for the first week listing meds, pain killers, exercises, and times to elevate and ice my affected leg. Arranging the various bottles of pills on a tray, my grandson quickly became master of procedures. He set alarms on his watch to prompt him to action, checked the chart to see which pills were needed, reminded me to do my ankle pumps and to stand up straight when using my walker. He helped me put on my compression stockings, decided we needed to remove the bathroom throw rug, and made my meals.

Ensconced in my office with a couch made into a queen bed, during the day he was able to enjoy lively conversations with his friends, to happily play on his electronics and do whatever he wanted to in between our routines. Evenings we ate dinner together and I joined him watching all things Disney on TV. At 10:00 he tucked me into bed with a Tylenol PM, turned out the light while assuring me he was pleased to be there to help me as we exchanged, I love you’s.

His parents and younger brother brought his birthday dinner to us on Monday. I think it was then I began to realize the week he was spending taking care of me was not only a gift to me but was also a gift to him. Right in the middle of the warp and woof of his young manhood, the essential foundation of his core being was being affirmed and strengthened. Proof he is indeed capable of being responsible, dependable and selfless –indispensable ingredients of a genuinely successful life.

P.S. I did not get the 650 sq. ft. senior cottage. Both disappointed and relieved, I remain thankful for the resulting critical readjustment to my thinking about downsizing.