It's the Little Things

Robert is very easily pleased. While I run around “behind the scenes” to make sure Robert gets his medication at the correct times and is enrolled in a Day Program and is allowed to be “let out,” Robert is content sitting in a recliner watching television and playing his word search puzzle book.

As long as Robert is able to watch the news so he can later recite the weather (and write the forecasted high temperatures in his word search book) and can watch Jeopardy at 6:30 p.m. and Wheel of Fortune at 7:00 p.m., he’s a happy man. Well, that and having some good food. Then he’s happy. Oh, and he needs a bottle of 7-Up with him at all times. When all these things occur, that’s when he’s happy.

It really doesn’t take much.

My BFF may have taken Rob to a new level of happiness, though.

BFF and I do our Christmas in January (more sales, less holiday craziness). This year, Christmas leaked into February which was worth it just to see the confused looks and double takes from people when we strolled into a restaurant for lunch a few days before Valentine’s Day with packages decorated with Snowmen and Santa Claus.

Aside from our animals getting each other gifts (doggie blanket for her Bellah; bag of bones and treats for all of my cats and dogs), BFF was thoughtful enough to give me a spiral-bound word search puzzle book for Robert. (She really is the nice one). I wasn’t sure how Robert would like a spiral-bound book since he gets stuck in his routines (“Trish: I prefer Word Search books. Not Word Seek.”).  Did I say he was easily pleased?  Well, most of the time . . .

When I gave Robert the new puzzle book he carefully looked it over. I demonstrated how he could fold it back on itself because of the spiral-binding.  How do you like it Rob?  He nodded his head. “It’s nice.”

He started working one of the puzzles.  Okay, great.  He seems to like it. This will definitely be better than him trying to tape the paper bound puzzle books back together after they inevitably fall apart.

Hours passed between gifting him the puzzle book and me leaving him at his New Home. Robert had already practically completed one of the puzzles. The paper bound book was in his walker basket; the fancy, new Word Search wasn’t leaving his sight. In fact, he seemed so happy with it I think he now includes it in his nightly prayers.

It’s the little things.