So Much of Me is Just Falling Through the Cracks!

The comments of Bob DeMarco at Alzheimer’s Reading Room, that appears with the excerpt from Alice in Wonderland is powerful in the Allegory of Alice and the supporting comments by Bob . It blows me away. It does so because it is so right on for a Caretaker as Bob writes. It is equally right on for those of us Afflicted with Dementia.

In my writing I have called it many things, the most descriptive of mine has been the absolute Paradigm Shift that accompanies the absolute intrusion of Dementia into your life, the Afflicted, and into the life of your loved ones, the affected, particularly the ever faithful, loyal, loving Caretaker.

We need to expand this idea so people become more prepared once facing it to get through the impact, sort out the personal responses, and accept the result which means getting on with life, a new and different life.

For this reason I carry Alice in this post and refer you to my Archive where I have posted Bob’s Article.

Click Archive to go to Alice in Alzheimer's Land

From Alice in Wonderland

"`Cheshire Puss,' [Alice] began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. `Come, it's pleased so far,' thought Alice, and she went on.

`Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'

`That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.

`I don't much care where--' said Alice.

`Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.

`--so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation.

`Oh, you're sure to do that,' said the Cat, `if you only walk long enough.'"

"`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.

`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'

`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.

`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'

Alice didn't think that proved it at all; however, she went on `And how do you know that you're mad?'

`To begin with,' said the Cat, `a dog's not mad. You grant that?'

`I suppose so,' said Alice.

`Well, then,' the Cat went on, `you see, a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased.

Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.'"