Sandwich Generation

For those who haven’t heard the term, it means you are young enough to have elderly parents and old enough to have grandchildren.

I alternate between visits to see my mother who is surrounded by people in their 90s at various stages of health (although most of them are declining), and weekends with my 11 year old grandson, who has so much energy it can be exhausting.

 Me?  Right in the middle.  I am not ready for the rocking chair, but I am also not quite up to one-on-one basketball for the half hour he can easily muster up.

When I leave my mother’s place, a couple of thoughts go through my mind.  The first one is sadness.  It is hard to see my once very vital mother sitting in a wheelchair waiting for someone to take her to a meal and then back to a group of people who nap on and off all day long.  My next thought is a bit lighter, when I think there are days when she laughs and enjoys activities and visits.

When I spend time at the park with my grandson I also go through a couple of thoughts.  The first one is, how can we harness this energy?  I can’t keep up.  My next thought is at least I was involved to the degree I could be.  After all, I didn’t just sit on the grass and watch him play.

I guess if I were to really give this ‘sandwich’ generation real thought, it would be to live your life exactly where you are.  Perhaps a bit more tired than you would like to be, but with enough energy to enjoy the activates that you love.

Live In The Moment!  It is, after all, where you reside!