3 posts tagged “life lesson”

The girl who shared her germs with me nine weeks ago and gave me a cold to start my prac with and commenced the downward spiral of my immune system, sat beside me in a lecture today. I coughed all over her.

Life lesson 962: Take your revenge, how, when and where you can get it...it won't solve things, but hey the instant gratification goes a long way!

I told a lie yesterday, To my mother. And now the universe it poking me with a big stick. I told my mother that I would not allow my sister and brother-in-law to drive home last night after the storm. They did however drive home. They are 58 and 67 years old, I think they can make their own decisions. So drove home they did.

My mother rang at 5.30 this morning. She wanted to know if my sister would be home to take her to her medial appointment later today. I don’t know what Mum thought we were going to do today, maybe go to the beach or something like you do on a work day. I said they “had left a little while ago” and would be there to take her to the doctor. Twelve hours ago can be a  “little while” ago right?

So I lied my head off to my mother and then had to turn around and phone sister, who no doubt as she does not work outside the home would have still been in bed, and tell my sister to keep up the charade. For Mum’s sake. Please, I’ll let you borrow my clothes if you just don’t tell Mum!

We lied to protect Mum from her own fears and anxieties, so that is ok, right? My real fear is that now, some 50 years from the womb, that I may develop a propensity to lie to my one surviving parent. Not that I had a plethora of parents to lie to previously, just the two, but Dad couldn’t even remember my age when I was growing up, so lying would never have been needed with him anyway. And towards the end he couldn’t even remember me at all so that kind of swept the slate clean!

This is a side of caring for oldies that no one ever warns you about, a bit like when you give birth no one warns you that you will have to teach them to drive and allow them to take the family car one day. When your parents age sometimes you have to lie to keep them happy.

I am not good at lying. I am ok at the old “of course you look fine in that god awful dress” lie. That is being polite. The other stuff, lying about your sister, that is going to be a little harder. And remembering the lie to keep the farce going is a bit of a long order too.  My daughters have told me that they will teach me the tricks. Apparently they have it down pat. As I am the mother they must have been lying to all this time, I am not sure how I should take that little bit of information.

Maybe I will ask them to lie about their lying just to keep me calm and happy too. Ignorance is indeed parental bliss.

Life Lesson 947: It is alright to lie to your mother if it will save her suffering, and you can hide your tracks.

And if I am not struck by a bolt of heavenly lighting today I may be back tomorrow with another life lesson.