Every week I accompany my Great Aunt for a trip to the grocery store. This has been a regular schedule for the past five years or so. Though it requires a few hours out of a day, I have come to quite enjoy running these errands with my aunt. Even when the trips last two hours. It's during these long trips I have learned a few things I thought are important to share:
1. Patience
It is something I could always work on in general, but continue to practice patience. It makes life more enjoyable, and you (yes you) more enjoyable.
2. Selflessness
Life isn’t always about you. Do I want to spend 30 minutes picking up and putting down produce? Not necessarily. Or spend 10 minutes analyzing what type of beans would blend well together in a bean salad? Not particularly. Would my aunt like to have the option to drive to the grocery store and shop alone sometimes? Most definitely.
3. Do what you can, but don't push it
Challenge yourself, but listen to your body. My aunt has some conditions many seniors get when you're in your eighties. She is also recovering from a stroke a few years ago. My aunt could have easily phoned it in and decided not challenge herself physically or mentally. She pushes herself, but also knows when she needs to rest.
She has shown me you don’t want to take injuries or setbacks as an excuse to coast through the rest of your days. You’re a human being and you’re a fighter, so keep going. But listen to what your body says. If you feel good, then move. If you are tired, then rest.
4 Stay moving
Recovering from a stroke, and still not 100% back to her pre-stroke condition, she refuses to just have me pick up her groceries from a list she gives me. She wants to get out, move and use her brain because she knows the importance of maintaining her strength and mind.
5. There is always an opportunity to learn something
You can get frustrated in almost any situation, but if you don’t keep an open mind, ear or eye, you could miss out on the opportunity to learn something. There are many positives, in what would seem to be a less than positive situation.