An Old Dog, But Still Learning

I love when people come to stay at my house. I always learn something, or am reminded about some lesson I’d forgotten. Living in my own little world with my stringent habits doesn’t allow for too much growth, but house guests disrupt those habits, make me see life in a different way, which in invaluable.

I’m reminded of this because I had guests earlier this week, Max and Juancho. Max is nearing seventy, has one mechanical leg, and must walk with crutches or ride in a wheelchair. The one thing about that type of disability, is that everything takes more time—showering, dressing, walking, getting out of bed, getting in and out of the pool, or in and of the car—at least at max’s age it does.

We had a lot of activities planned, and managed to do about half of them. My lesson for the week was one of patience. The world doesn’t operate at my RPM, never has and never will. So when I invite the real world into my limited universe, it is I who have to adjust my expectations.

We actually had a delightful visit, once I adjusted my attitude to not care what got done, as long as everyone had a good time. And really, at the end of the day, what’s important is the positive human interaction, not how many tasks were checked off the list. 

Thank you, Max.