Ben has always been in excellent physical health. His wife cooks a strict diet consisting of low fat, gluten free foods and excluding a lengthy list of tasty treats. Ben has always taken a regiment of natural supplements to the point of not needing any pharmaceutical medications until developing dementia. For an 81 year old man, he has surprisingly few aches and pains. Living with us, he has started to bust out some belly fat. The Peel He says, “I’ve got to get rid of this!” while he points to his new tummy. “Only give me half a lunch.” I wonder if he thinks he’s getting fat because he is eating too much lunch. I think it is for other reasons: He is very vocal about what he wants to eat and what he doesn’t. If it’s sweet, it’s good. If it’s not sweet, it’s terrible. He consumes daily portions of OJ or lemonade, pancakes or toast with syrup or honey, and milkshakes or ice cream (sometimes both in the same day). No amount of reasoning will change his mind on what is good for him. On top of that, because of the CoronaVirus shutdowns, Ben has not been able to go to the gym to get his regular exercise. Normally, he is a beast on the cycle machine and burns off a lot of calories. But now, the best we can do is walk 1-2 times a day with an occasional bike ride. Ben is the visible example of what a high sugar and low exercise lifestyle will do to a body. We can see the transformation happening in a matter of months. The Fruit Even though the walks are not as cardio-strong as the exercise bike, they are fun to do together. Perhaps the increased sunshine will give him the Vitamin D he needs to fight off this disease better than the gym would do. At the very least, the walks have been healthy for our relationship. But, trying to convince him that sweets are unhealthy and paramount to his growing belly is trying to reason with ill-logic. It only results in shame and stubborn defiance and gives Thunderfoot an excuse to come out. It’s not worth it. Instead, we let the sugar flow, the belly grow, and the happiness flow. Ben has so few enjoyments in life anymore. Sweet treats bring smiles and laughter and words of thanks. They are a blessing to us all. If I’m 80 with dementia, I hope I’ll have the freedom to belly bust, too.
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Thank you, Lord, for all the small ways you comfort us. You attend to our short term sufferings while giving us a long term hope. This terrible disease has sabotaged everything he loves in life, but it has unlocked the door to unlimited treats. He can let go of his physical body on earth knowing that every good thing he has lost here will be restored to him in heaven.
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