How much money we have, has NOTHING to do, with how kind we are, to our, aging parents here, as this individual had, observed, translated…
Awhile back, as I’d started having symptoms of menopause, I no longer was stubborn, started taking my medications regularly, to change the symptoms of having the cold sweats.
The clinic became, overpopulated on the weekends, and so, all I can do, was to, calm myself down, and just, wait to see the physician.
There was an elderly woman who was dressed like she was attending a party next to me, I’d smiled at her out of courtesy, was about to close my eyes, to take a short break, when the elderly inquired, “where do you live?”, “I live in XX District”. Not long thereafter, the elderly woman asked me again, “Where do you live?”, I’d smiled and replied, “I live in XX District”.
As that elderly woman asked me, a third time, I’d understood, that the woman wasn’t, hard of hearing, but she’d started experiencing some memory loss. And I’d still, squinted and smiled back at her, answered her inquiries again.
Then, a middle-aged man walked over, saw me in conversation with the elderly woman, with an apologetic smile, he’d, thanked me. He’d turned toward the elderly woman, told her, “Mom, let’s take a pack of medication first before we head home.”, he’d handed her the paper cup, said gently, “take a drink first, is it hot?”, the elderly looked forward, the man carefully, placed the cup close to the elderly woman’s lips. Then, tore the medication pack open, poured it into the cup, stirred the mixture, then, told the elderly, “drink this down slowly.”
I’d not cared if I was, out of sorts, I was, so moved I had to, blink back my tears. The elderly woman slowly, drank up the medication, the elderly woman helped her up, said, “mom, let’s go to the bathrooms first, then, we’re, going home.”, as the elderly heard the words, “going home”, she’d, smiled that innocent smile, and waved toward me, “going home, bye-bye!”, I’d, waved goodbye back to her too.
Seeing the man, walking the elderly step by step toward the restrooms, I deeply believed, that it was not, just for show. The idiom of, illness for long drives even the kindest children away, I kept believed, that it’s the long-term pressures economically and psychologically that’s going to, crush the kindness of children toward their parents, but this man today, he’d, prove me wrong, because from the way the man looked, he’s, probably, blue collar, which showed, that being kind to one’s own parents, isn’t necessarily related to how rich one is. And so, I’d often joked with my parents, that although, I’m not a “blue chip” stock, I can however, become, a long-term investment, a retirement pension. Even if we can’t wine and dine at the best restaurants all the time, but, isn’t a long sort of a caring for the aging parents, an, alternative, sort of, bliss too?
And so, this showed, how being kind to one’s own parents, doesn’t involve ANY money at all, what it involves is heart, like the man whom the writer saw helping his own mother to the doctor’s clinic, he’s, kind toward his mother, and, he looked like an entry level, blue collar worker. The heart, that’s, what’s, important in caring for our elders.