The importance of Flexibility

Dictionary.com defines flexibility as:

     1) capable of being bent, without breaking; easily bent. ie a flexible ruler
     2) susceptible of modification of adaption. ie a flexible schedule
     3) willing or disposed to yield; pliable : ie a a flexible personality

Back when I lived in Colorado our pastor always used that word when talking about going on a mission trip to a foreign country.  Our mission trips always had us staying in people's homes, which meant some meals would be home-cooked meals.  Our hosts were always generous and always went out of their way to provide for us.  But every once in awhile you might get something that you weren't expecting like flavored lard or blood sausage.  Our mission trips always had a tentative schedule, but through past experiences knew that it was always subject to change.  So our pastor always made sure that "flexible" was a staple word used and understood and because of that our trips were always an adventure filled with lots of fun and wonderful experiences that we wouldn't have had if weren't flexible.

Flexibility is also a wonderful word for a caregiver to have and to know and all three of those definitions can be applied to caregiving.   Because if you aren't flexible as a caregiver, life is only that much harder and you'll only make yourself miserable.  It's not easy, especially when you are thrown into that position due to circumstances and not as a career choice.

But as a caregiver I've learned that it's also important to be flexible as the person that is being taken care of.  If you, as the caregivee( I think I made up a new word ), the person being taken care of, can learn to be flexible life just might be a little bit more enjoyable.  You have to realize that it's not only your life that has been turned upside down.  Now, when you are dealing with someone suffering from Dementia or Alzheimers, this is a much more difficult choice to make.  Which is why you have to learn to be flexible early on, so that when memories fade, your personality won't.

So I glean what I can from these experiences, learning to be more flexible.   Life is one big mission trip and I want to enjoy all that it has for me, including the flavored lard and blood sausage that may come my way.