The Swimmers

Someone very close to my family is currently suffering from dementia. It’s heartbreaking on a lot of levels. When I closed this book I had to hold in my sobs. Sometimes when you’re caring for someone suffering from a terminal illness you focus on your own suffering, sometimes it’s hard to see beyond the ways in which you’re hurting. But in the end it’s not really about you. It is in some ways, after all you are grieving for a loss. A loss of a life well lived. Of a grandparent you thought would be around longer to see your kid grow up. An aunt that you thought would tell you all the stories you missed about your father passed too soon. A mom you thought would always be as sharp as a knife, sitting and laughing with you on the porch outside. And yes. It is awful. But what The Swimmers accomplished for me, is it allowed me to crawl inside the mind of this person I love so much. My capacity for empathy grew and my anger subsided. I was able to make room in my heart and stop being so angry at the unfairness of it all. Bc I need to enjoy the little moments I have left. Bc one day. They’ll be gone.

[ID:The book The Swimmers rest on a porch beam outside.]

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