Day to day to day

Anton Chekhov said, "Any idiot can face a crisis; it is this day-to-day living that wears you out." This says a lot about caregiving. Personally, I have loved those that I cared for so much, the wear comes more in the form of weariness from feeling helpless, and the devastation of witnessing the transformation of a vibrant loved one to a vulnerable loved one. When I am unable to relieve someone's pain or help their life circumstance, it leaves a scar on my own heart, an ache in the background. In my own experience, the three people I cared for were each so heroic in their own circumstances, that it made (makes) my day to day a series of lessons. The gratitude I receive in return is more than compensation and soothes that scar. Time spent together is precious. I have experienced the circular nature of life and relationships, the give and take, stretch and ease. Caregiving is a gift to us. It may wear us out but it won't wear us down, it will make our hearts larger in the end.