Some years ago, I began to realise that I had an ever-diminishing amount of time left with my parents. It was a sobering realisation. I don’t know about you but I sort of felt that my parents would go on forever. Obviously, on many levels I knew that it was not the case. The thought, though, did prompt me to think about what I could do to spend as much time as possible with them while at the same time getting on with my life. Suddenly, I was making choices and creating plans. Act today to preserve tomorrow’s precious memories.
And here we are today. My mother is now in residential care, mostly remembering who I am and routinely forgetting what we’ve talked about. My father still lives independently, albeit a lot slower than he used to be. We do, though, have many shared memories to talk about. My mother amazes me with what she suddenly remembers. Similarly, my father talks about the events that matter to him, and his continuing plans for now and the future.
Within that mix of memories are the things I planned. The days out. The holidays together. The weekends we spent with them. Of course, family gatherings happen, birthdays come round once a year, just as Christmas does. Crucially, the plans I made were outside of those annual milestones. They’re the precious memories which we created together. Importantly, they make me smile, and I feel fortunate to have had the foresight to look beyond.
I got thinking about this during my mother’s last stay in hospital. It reminded me of the importance of planning. Going with the flow is all well and good. However, while I would still have spent time with my parents, I am not so sure that we would have done so much together. Making plans can take time and energy. Of course, everything doesn’t always turn out as planned. The successes far outweigh the plans that went awry. And the precious memories are mine forever.
Where are you in all of this? Firstly, if it’s all working out just fine for you, carry on doing what you’re doing. Secondly, if you’re making plans which allow you make memories, you’re almost certainly on track. However, if, as you think about it all, you realise that maybe you’ve missed out in the past, now is the time to do something. Essentially, you now have a choice.
So, if you know what to do, do it now. If you’re not sure, book an initial consultation here, and then take the next step. You know that you can do it, and you know that it makes sense, don’t you?
