To keep one’s mind active, to delay the onset of aging process of the mind, and this, became a sort of a habit, a hobby of the elderly woman, translated…
After the surgeries, mom became, weakened, couldn’t travel abroad with me like she’d done. I’d worried, that she’d stayed home too long, lacking exercise, that it may cause her physical abilities to deteriorate away quicker, at the same time, the doctors reminded us, to have the brand new activities, to keep her mind activated is all too important, that this can help reduce the chances of her becoming demented.
And so, I’d, asked my mom out to movies. Because I need to take care of my grandchildren, and, I am only free after ten at night after I put them to sleep, and so, we can, only go see the midnight shows; and thankfully, there’s, a theatre close by my house, and there were, only, a handful of moviegoers, like the whole theatre was ours. Afterwards, I’d also, loved strolling and carrying on in conversation with mom as we walked home.
For my mother who’s ninety years old, reading books is hard, she’d, lost her hearing somewhat as well, and, if she’d watched the soaps, to pass the time, there would be, dozens of episodes, it would be, too harsh on her body; instead, the movies are, much easier, cheaper, the screens, the sounds, are way better than the T.V., after a few times of taking her to the movies, she’d, fallen in love with it.
The dramas are slower, and mom will get into the plots easier, and I would, select the movies relating to the subject of illness and death such as “Still Alice”, “The Leisure Seeker”, “La La Land”, “The Greatest Showman”, and the song-and-dance movies, to help her relax.
As for the horror, or sci-fi films, mom worried that viewing these will keep her from sleeping well, she’d, rejected them at first, but as she’d learned, that these two genres are the favorites of the younger generations, she’d, gladly, watched a few, said she wanted to be, “trendy” too, and so, we’d gone to see “What Happened to Monday” awhile ago, she said it was, more interesting, than playing mahjong.
As for the best-selling series of “The Avengers”, they’re, so fast-paced it’d kept her engaged, although she couldn’t remember all the characters, but she’d only needed to know which ones are the good guys, which ones are the bad, that was, enough, she’d, gotten really into the movies, and, she’d become this “question mom”, kept asking questions about the movies, clearly, it’d, kept her mind activated!
As I’d taken mom to the movies, I’d, selected the seats, right in the middle, two rows behind, the aisles are closer to the exit, if my mother wanted to go to the restroom midway through the movies, she’d not needed to go around, just walked down the steps.
The beautiful summer is here, there’s, air-conditioning in the theatre, with the midnight shows, and now, came mom’s turn to ask me, “Are there any good movies playing now?” Although I’d not have a dad like Liam Neeson in “Taken”, but, I do have the world’s, most wonderful mom who goes to see the midnight shows with her daughter!
And so, this, is a great way that this daughter thought of, to help her own mother get more active in life, they’d, gone on movie dates, and, connected with each other, and the point is not the movies that they’d watched, but being able to spend time with each other, doing something they both really enjoyed.