Akiko M is 90 years old, and she has alzheimers. She’s lived with us for eight years. This past holiday we decided to treat her and ourselves to respite – she went to stay at a special center for a few days while I thoroughly cleaned her room for the new year.
It’s been 20 years since my father, Akiko’s husband, was killed in an automobile accident. My mother was 70 at the time, and the accident traumatized her. She spent the last 20 years looking for my father, her husband – she sleeps with him, she says, and she’s always looking for him.
Akiko also collects dolls. In Akiko’s room she is surrounded by dolls, and photos of my father, her husband. They were her support system as her alzheimers progressed.
When Akiko went to the respite center I cleaned her room thoroughly for the new year. After 20 years I put her dolls away, and left a few photos of her & my father, and the family. And when Akiko returned after her stay at the respite center, she didn’t miss any of the dolls or the extra photos. In fact, for the first time in a long time, her attitude improved, and she looked forward to going to school (her daycare center.)
Everyone who walked in her room agreed the energy had changed. The past was cleared, and there was new qi (chi – remember? the feng shui word for energy). Akiko is 90 and she has some good years left.
As we prepare for 2013, a reminder — one of the four noble truths is that impermanence is part of life…and after reasonable time has passed – in this case more than reasonable, twenty years — it’s important to clear — move on, and to enjoy all that life has to offer.
Akemashite omedetou (happy new year) to everyone,
In gratitude, Janet Mitsui Brown, www.thejoyoffengshui.com
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