Senior Service

What a week in community service. I sadly missed Street Squash for the second week in a row, but I happily got to go to the nursing home twice. Every Thursday one upper school homeroom gets to skip eucharist and go to the nursing home. This week I went with the 6th graders and they were great, conversing and mingling with the elderly. The seniors there do not live there, it is like day care and they get to go home every day. One woman in particular, her name is Casey, strikes me every time. Maybe because her eyes remind me of my grandmother's, maybe just because she is so confused, but I am drawn to her every time she is there. She is kind and small, smiles a lot, and repeats herself. On Thursday we chatted a lot and I thought she was sort of following, despite her clear intermittent disconnects with reality. She told me I looked like an "old maid" with white hair and suggested that I color it so that my hair could match my young face. I am stared at every day and hear comments every other about my grey hair. Hers did not bother me because she was trying to be nice and because well, she is 80 and senile, and she has these sad blue eyes. On Friday, a little over 24 hours after the first visit, I took my fourth grade trimester class to do nail care with the seniors. Some of them cringe when they hear about it. Sure, it is uncommon to touch old people, boys are not usually into nail polish, but it always turns out swimmingly. Fourth grade nail care was fabulous as always. It makes me want to cry when I see the kids running around to get remover, different colors. I saw Casey and went to speak to her. She did not remember me and asked me lots of questions that indicated that she was more confused than usual. I dyed my hair today, in fact, I need to go wash it out now before it falls out. I am not sure if Casey will care, but I cannot wait to show her on Thursday.