It’s Not About What You Want
It’s very hard to watch someone pass, but it’s also important to remember you’re doing it for them. I’ve always resented my older brother’s selfishness because his policy is essentially, “I don’t go visit people in the hospital because I don’t want to remember them that way.” But life isn’t just about YOU, now is it? It’s not just about what YOU want.
What about what the person in the hospital wants? My grandmother became very sick late last year and even when she became delirious, she would calm down when either my mom or I said, “It’s okay, we’re here…” She would just calm right down. Mom stayed in the hospital with her from the crack of dawn until 8 pm, and I took the night shift from 8 pm to 5 am, stayed all night so she was never alone.
When she got better and left the hospital, she told us that words couldn’t describe how much it meant to her that we did what we did; that we would never know just how much it meant to her. She said it saved her life. She said, “I would’ve been scared, but I wasn’t scared because every time I woke up, you were right there.” She said she knows she probably won’t be able to and won’t get the chance (due to her age), but she wishes more than anything that she could return the favor.
She said that if I were ever hospitalized, she would never leave my side. I tell you all this to say…I understand how hard it can be. I GET the temptation to be like my older brother and be like, “I don’t want to see them like this, it’s going to haunt me!” But when you understand how much it means to them, it’ll give you the strength to power through.
Story credit: Reddit / bondoh