I'm always honest, so I had to share this. Ron approved.
Ron prefers to take a bath. His neuropathy makes showering an excruciating torment.
Years ago, Ron and I met another vendor's wife. She gave Ron and up and down appraisal, with an audible sniff.
"You need to clean him up." She objected to his beard, inexpensive clothes, and the length of his thinning hair. I wasn't happy, but hid it.
"He looks fine to me."
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, for a professing Christian, I found her judgmental and cruel.
We have a conference, where I will be meeting 120 other blind vendor's wives.
Since I am judged by his presentation, I threw him in the tub, so to speak. "Wash your hair" I instructed him, along with some other reminders. I helped him scrub, always painful.
I left after helping him and Ron finished bathing on his own. He came out and laid down for a while, we talked, etc. After about an hour, I actually looked at him.
His hair was plastered to his head, in an odd fashion.
"Uh, Ron? Did you rinse the shampoo out of your hair?" He felt his hair.
"I guess not! I got brain damage!" We laughed.
"So do I! I just noticed!" Thank God we figured it out now, and not on the road.
3 comments:
Why are all the blind vendors men - 120 of them no less? What's that about?
I think it's such a statement about our society that people think it's a reflection on you that Ron sometimes has poor hygeine!
Yes, he is blind and has acquired brain injury as well as mobility issues, but he also is very independent. You also are his wife, not his nurse or home care worker. I don't mean that to sound cold. You're there to support him, but Ron being independent as he is, if he refuses to take a bath or to wash his hair, that's his fault, not yours.
I wish more people would hold Ron responsible for his own actions.
Ron's worried I wasn't clear about the neuropathy. Bathing is very painful for him.
I agree with you totally, Jillian, but on the outside Ron "appears" to be "helpless and dependent". Many paratransit drivers get very upset at me because I don't "help" Ron in and out of the vehicle. I tell them, he doesn't need or want my help.
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