EILEEN ADLER

After looking over my website, a dear friend sent me this email message: “The subject matter has always intrigued me as I have been a caretaker for family members throughout the years. I can attest that it is a most challenging position to be in. The creativity, organization, and experience you convey are impressive to say the least.” Growing up, I never thought about becoming a care partner. We were living our blessed lives, raising two fabulous sons, I was the reading teacher in a wonderful elementary school, and my husband was enjoying his hospital-based medical practice. We experienced sadness including the loss of our parents and my twin brother when he was fifty-eight years old but receiving a serious diagnosis was never part of  the plan. The journey began, and I often ask myself what has been the biggest blessing in disguise? My husband has his opinion believing that I am much more assertive and more self-reliant, and he’s right, but I see things differently. I am now a courageous care partner, determined to recharge with self-care rituals, striving for peaceful pinnacles in patience, persistence, and positive changes, knowing when to conquer and when to comfort. Taped to my desk is a poignant thought by Oprah Winfrey which I read every day, “Getting older is the best thing that ever happened to me. I wake up every morning rejoicing that I’m still here with an opportunity to begin again and be better.” Good enough is often good enough but being a little better is a goal.

Self-care Ritual: What in your life has been the biggest blessing in disguise?