A Gate Tale
This is probably getting old, but I have another gate story. I finished touching up the main gate on Sunday. Got the support poles painted, blended in the rough spots, and just generally felt good about life. I cleaned the brushes and put up the paint. Then I noticed the gooseneck that holds the gate’s keypad. It needed painting. So, I dutifully broke out the brushes, opened the paint and got busy. It only took a few minutes and an extra cycle of cleaning brushes, but now everything matches.
This is where the story takes a turn. I decided now was the time to replace the burned out LEDs that illuminated the keypad. They’ve been out for a couple of years. It felt right. Bring everything back to spec. So, I opened up the box and tried to figure out how to replace an LED bulb. As I dug and tugged, I found a surprise. The wires running to the bulbs were not plugged into the circuit board that controlled the keypad. I plugged them in. Touched the keypad. The lights worked. I was more than a little excited.
I guess the lesson is that grief and caregiving can suck all the energy out of you. Because when I first heard a visiting friend tell me the lights were out, I didn’t even try to see why. I just cursed under my breath, and thought, “I’ll get to it.” I was lost in memory care and then several years of grief. It took nearly four years for the lights to come back on. But here they are, and things undone are being done. And while our little home isn’t the Taj Mahal, it’s still a tribute to us, and I’d like it to continue to look nice and be a welcoming sight to those who grace its doors and those who live within.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale