THE LONG FORGETTING

Duck.

           

I’ve been chewing and nipping away at “The Forgetting: Alzheimer’s: Portrait of an Epidemic,” by David Shenk.  He writes well, and this book doesn’t read at all like a research paper.  Despite my own forgetting, I am assimilating and enjoying the stories he tells.

When Paul Hawkins and I arrived in LA for his classes at Art Center School, one of the first places we lived was in this old four unit apartment building.  We were upstairs, and downstairs were Peter and Ellie.  We had seen them last month at one of her art shows.  Yesterday, Ellie came to visit, and she brought us very sad news.  Peter has Alzheimer’s. 

She is powerful woman with four kids and amazing talents.  I had not only been a bit afraid of her over the years, but I’ve always felt less than.  She told us typical stories of caretaker burnout, and her sadness created equality in me for the first time.  She can’t work, paint, travel, and give workshops while caring for Peter.  Like my friend Bobbie, her life is her painting.  Ellie’s son, Charlie, was willing to take over caring for Peter while Ellie learned the in’s and out’s of the family business and painted.  She told how with her tax accountant’s help, she was able to take up the bookkeeping of their corporation for the first time.  Every story had its first step triggered by Peter’s confusions.

I kept thinking, what would have happened to Duck if we had not been there for him.  If in a few years the disease will double, then double again. What will happen then to all the Ducks in the world?

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• Himself:  My hero all day.
• Myself:  Breakfast with Margot and Zoe yesterday.  The long visit with Ellie.  I could see through her eyes how much I have grown and how wonderful G is.  Dinner and a meeting.
• Reading:  The Forgetting
• Gratitude’s:  George and the cooler nights.