A Loving Husband

In today’s materialistic world, life turns to be a forced venture for many married people after the initial excitements of physical pleasures gets over and love remain as a forgotten entity. But there are few couples whose union gradually leads to the union of souls and true love blooms between them forever. Recently I came across a couple who belongs to the latter category.

The gentleman is a retired government officer in his 70s and his wife in her late 60s. The old lady has been suffering from Alzheimer's disease for the last 10 years and he became her lone caregiver at an age when he himself needs to be cared by others. You may be aware of the consequences of the deadly disease which is not so common in our country.

         

People with Alzheimer's disease have memory problems and difficulties with thinking and reasoning and eventually they will not be able to care for themselves. They also may experience personality and behaviour changes. For example, they may become agitated, irritable, or very passive. Some people with Alzheimer's may wander away from home and become lost. Others may not be able to tell the difference between day and night—they may wake up, get dressed, and start to leave the house in the middle of the night thinking that the day has just started.

Due to complex changes occurring in the brain, people with Alzheimer's may see or hear things that have no basis in reality. They also may have losses that affect vision, smell, taste and other feelings. The disease gets worse as it develops and at the critical stage they become increasingly unable to take care of themselves and their life goes back to the stage of infancy with a matured body. 

These disabilities are very difficult, not only for the person with Alzheimer's, but for the family, and those taking care of them. Caring for a person with Alzheimer's at home is a challenging task. It is often overwhelming, tiring, and frustrating.  The caregivers would be subjected to undefined mental agonies while witnessing the gradual deterioration of the person they love.

One can imagine how a man of 70 years old would feel when he becomes the lone caregiver of his beloved wife suffering from Alzheimer's. But the gentleman whose only comfort is the love and support of one of his daughters never shows a bit of grudge in his face and takes care of his ailing wife with true love, devotion and patience.

 
In a time, when couples getting separated after years of relationship or even just after a year of married life become a casual affair, the inspiring life of the old gentleman urges us to introspect how seriously we love our spouses.

Ambitions: Parents Vs Children

Every year with the declaration of HSSLC and HSLC examination results, most parents spend sleepless nights worrying about choosing the right course or the most suitable schools for their children. With the ever growing competition and availability of limited seats in the most sought schools, admitting children in the course and school of their choice has become a tough job for majority of the parents. In this connection, I wish to share an incident from my life which may be of help to few of the readers.   

One day one of my colleagues asked my 11 year old son what his aim in life is. He just stared back at her without answering. So she asked again, “What do you want to become in life?”  He answered politely, “I have not yet decided.”  She smiled and advised him that he should decide it. When we came out he told me, “Daddy sometimes I think that I want to become a teacher like you. When I see an aeroplane, I feel that I should become an aeronautical engineer. When I study about the Universe, I feel that I should become a space scientist. So how can I decide about my career now?”

I told him, “You need not take any such decision right now. Enjoy your school life and study well. But whatever you study, understand the concepts well and never go for memorising without understanding. By the time you reach class 9/10, you will identify your field of interest and basing on that you can start preparing for realising your ambition.”

By the time a child completes his/her high school, they would have identified their field of interest and that should be a major factor in deciding their course of study. But unfortunately, the interest and likes of children are rarely taken in to consideration in selecting their field of study. Many children are thus forced to run blind folded in the race of life without realising the purpose of running.

Most of us have developed a misconception that medical and engineering are the only fields of study that would ensure a bright future for our children. There is no denial that these professions are the first choice for many talented people. But we must not forget that every field of study offers good scope for those who excel in whatever they study.

 

It is true that parents have the responsibility of helping children in shaping their future but at the same time, it is not wise to impose our unattained ambitions on them against their wishes. They are going to live their own life, so they must decide about it. We should only guide them to explore the various options available to them.