What do you eat, Aunty?

I stopped feeling guilty

Of the 28 days this coming February, ten days will be spent taking mum for her various medical appointments at two different hospitals. Visits with the healthcare specialists may last less than an hour but booking and waiting for a Grab taxi, registering for our queue number, waiting our turn to get tests done, waiting to see the doctors, and making payment make it a day affair.

Everything take more time and effort with her broken wrist but how thankful I am that they are just repetitive routines and not fighting-fire health crisis I have to deal with. I intentionally make appointments FUN and meaningful to take away the unpleasant eye injections, the “arm twisting” bone alignments, blood and other tests.

People often say, “Aunty, your complexion is so fair and smooth. You don’t look at all your age. What is your secret for long life. What do you eat, aunty?“

Mum enjoys ice cream, cakes, McDonald’s scrambled eggs, sausage, and pancakes; bak-kut-teh, char kway teow, claypot rice, nasi ulam, nasi rawon, nasi lemak, nasi briyani, assam perdas, mee rebus, goreng pisang, yu char kway, mee pok with lots of soya sauce and chilli. I cook for her but she would rather have the salty, savoury, and sweet unhealthy hawker food any time. 😱

Her mind is sharp and her will strong. Mum knows what she wants or doesn’t want. She can distinguish between average and good fried belachan (dried shrimp paste) just by the smell. I stop feeling guilty about letting her eat the not-so-healthy.

At 93, what is there to haggle and hassle about?

Mum’s eyesight is not as good as before. But she has a hearty appetite, a discerning nose, selective hearing when I nag her about exercising 😅. She squirms when I lavish hugs and complains I’m full of saliva when I kiss her. She loves it says me.

Since about a year ago, my helper began turning on hymns from YouTube for mum before bed. She taps her hands to the upbeat rock-and-roll and country music. Dad was the one who brought music to our home. What a lovely surprise to discover new things about Mum in her 90s. I’ve since set up my old laptop and connected it to the 21-inch TV so she can watch and listen to music on big screen.

Managing what Mum eats, take her medicine, does her exercises, etc are givens. However, making home a fun place for Mum is high on my priorities. With thankfulness and joy, we can overcome whatever life throws at us. When Mum is happy, I get a lot done. Daily routines are not like “pulling teeth.” She laughs a lot and cooperates without a fuss.

The Bible says, …The joy of the Lord is your strength. – Nehemiah 8:10, ESV.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. – Proverbs 17:22, ESV

Make home a fun place to be. 🎠