As a regular caregiver for a daughter with schizophrenia, a wife with major depression, and a son who is financially dependent on me, it is rare for a day to not include challenges. Today was a bit tougher than average because my daughter was emotionally abusive on the phone this morning and my son needed some extra money. But the climax came while I was delivering takeout food to my daughter, helping her with some dirty dishes, and picking up her laptop to reinstall Linux which got corrupted. At that moment, I got a text message from two of my former employees. One of them is going to Montreal and then taking a small ship cruise along the eastern shore of Canada and the USA in a few days. The other is going on a vacation to Glacier National Park. My initial reaction was depression, because these are the kinds of activities that regular caregivers cannot do. But, almost immediately thereafter and perhaps thanks to Albert Camus, I soon saw the absurdity in my situation and found it quite amusing. I am going to keep this from my wife, because I do not think she would find it funny. I will also keep it from my former employees rather than make them feel guilty about their text messages. It just is what it is. My daughter told me she loves me, which was her way of apologizing for this morning. And, while typing this toot on my patio, a rainbow appeared in the sky above me. “One must imagine that Sisyphus was happy.” - Camus 😊

#Caregiving #Caregiver #Absurdism #AlbertCamus