The Healing Power of Cat Photos

The mama is pretty deaf, and she calls me up at work sometimes when she's confused. Yesterday's topic was the calendar. Mom and I are going to a memorial on Monday and she wanted to know the plan. I had already told her the plan several times on the night before.

It's almost not worth telling her anything in advance. She can't remember certain kinds of things for more than a second or two, and can't interpret a calendar without help. And sometimes when we're on the phone she asks me to yell into the phone because she can't hear me. When I don't respond quickly with a yelled response she gets frustrated.

Yesterday this kind of conversation was happening while I was at work. "Can you see the calendar from where you're sitting? "I'll have to turn my head" "OK, turn your head so you can see the calendar," etc. Thankfully I have an enclosed office, but when I have to yell into the phone (at her request) a clarifying word or two. It's mortifying, because it makes it seem like I'm exasperated and yelling at my mom, not to my mom. Even when I'm exasperated I don't yell. And if I *did* yell I would definitely take the occasion to yell something tasty, not just "MONDAAAAAAAY"!

Sometimes when I have a hard conversation with the mama I need to look at cat pictures.

Here you go.