The Walk

THE WALK

I met my new 92-year-old friend who had dementia, while on an outing I had planned for my friends with memory issues. I could tell by the way he ground his teeth that he was apprehensive about the change in his environment.   So I smiled at him and walked with him. Thinking that maybe he will grow more comfortable with me and the outdoor park we were in as we walked.

He continued to grind his teeth; the sound this made was very much like the sound of the ducks that were quacking in the distance on the lake. I looked at the things that caught his attention: a few kids swimming, a bird, the leaves on the tree and the cactus that grew wild.

He then took my hand in his… not in the normal way I would hold hands with my friends. His fingers intertwined with mine, and he began to ever so slightly swing our hands between us. So carefree, so natural, and the years slipped away. He stopped then to look at me and to say, “I love you.”

I know he was not telling “me” that he loved “me.”  He was telling his chosen girl from decades ago on a sunny day at the lake that he loves her.

I hope she heard him; I hope she knows that wherever she is and whatever her name; he loves her; he loves her.

I am reminded once again that relationships, people, and lives are valuable above and beyond anything else in this world. Hug someone tighter today; hold them just a bit longer and say I love you!

Special memory of my friend who had dementia.