Neighbours

I am not yet whole.

I need a little extra help to get me through the day. Maybe 5 or 10 minutes in the morning will do it. My first thought was to get in an occupational therapist to see if an adaption can be made such that I need no extra help. She came up with a few ideas but none were immediately applicable. During her visit, she took in everything and kept circling back to the extra hands that Joe needed for that brief few minutes in the morning. We spoke about a personal support worker but that sounded too intrusive to me and way more formal an arrangement than I’d like.

So I let her wander around with Joe in tow while I went on the computer and contacted my neighbours across the wall. I told them the situation that I was in, I told them what I needed and asked if they could help for a couple of weeks. In a few minutes, it was all arranged and I knew it would be okay.

I told her about the arrangement and her first response was ‘are they nice’ as if their agreement to help wasn’t evidence enough. Then she yattered on about how she could never do that, she’s too independent, that asking people in your life for help was almost unnatural.

But even so, by the time she’d left I had a plan in place and people to rely on.

And I wonder how many needs could be handled this way, neighbours being neighbours, people helping people. It wasn’t even part of her evaluation, it was the question not asked.

But for me, I have great neighbours and right now, that’s all I need to get back on my feet again. Tomorrow will take care of itself.