tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513472121138537139.post961326689008231522..comments2024-01-14T16:49:35.333+00:00Comments on MORE MADELINE MOORE: Am I Good or Am I Bad?Madeline Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16485601071092171174noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513472121138537139.post-71702401687053412122010-11-24T13:46:09.525+00:002010-11-24T13:46:09.525+00:00Thank you Jeremy and Janine. You make valid point...Thank you Jeremy and Janine. You make valid points. Jeremy is right when he says we have limitations and I discovered, the hard way, what happens if I exceed those limitations in helping out a friend or in this case, a neighbour.<br /><br />See, the deal with my mother is that we loved each other. And she was astonishingly brave. And forgiving. If I messed up she'd say, "We're all doing our best."<br /><br />So I came out of that experience thinking I was a terrific advocate and caregiver for older people and their medical problems. But that wasn't the case. I was a terrific advocate and caregiver for my mother.<br /><br />Janine, thank you. I am a caregiver by nature (and now, in a relationship with another caregiver, so we take great joy in doing all sorts of things for each other and we make sure to thank each other for it) so I am inclined to help this poor guy but as you say - I know what's involved. And what good am I to him, anyway, if I can't stand the smell of his apartment for more than a few minutes.<br /><br />I like the English way. Michael says if someone is terminally ill you visit them once, and if they're still alive you visit again. After that, the person has no real business still being alive so you're off the hook!<br /><br />And no, not raised Catholic. Or Jewish. But I do have a healthy dose of the oft-overlooked Protestant guilt.Madeline Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16485601071092171174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513472121138537139.post-39524105895153067132010-11-23T21:47:26.276+00:002010-11-23T21:47:26.276+00:00Well, you're way more Good than I am, hon. You...Well, you're way more Good than I am, hon. You've already looked after a bunch of people, and now you know what it involves you're - not unreasonably - scared. <br /><br />There's nothing Bad about worrying about the future, or not enjoying the smell of old people. <br /><br />Like Jeremy says, we've got to accept our limitations. And remember we're not put here to give ourselves up entirely to others (unless you're raised a Catholic, in which case that's exactly what they think women in particular are for, and you've got a fight on your hands to hold onto your sanity).Janine Ashblesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00840188081214225153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513472121138537139.post-8333447266376538002010-11-23T19:47:40.614+00:002010-11-23T19:47:40.614+00:00All I can offer is the thought that we should try ...All I can offer is the thought that we should try not to expect more of ourselves than is reasonable. We're people, with needs and with limitations; we're not martyrbots.Jeremy Edwardshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01980177431018869829noreply@blogger.com