Creatures of habit

The turkeys were given ears of corn to amuse them. As well as a big red ball. Turkeys, while not the brightest creatures, are very curious and love to peck at things. In their enclosure they now have a feed sack stuffed with newspaper that hangs up and they love to peck at it. The large red ball is pecked and pushed around all day and now the corn is the curiosity of the day for them. It is viewed with suspicion at first, but soon becomes the flavour (literally) of the day. Creatures of habit do enjoy change if they are confronted with it in close quarters.

In a conversation with my mother tonight the conversation rolled around to her living alone and the approaching winter and the price of oil and home maintenance, etc., etc. So I broached the subject of her moving into an apartment to remove the more stressful elements maintaining a house alone at 82.

She is interested but we have gone down this road before and she always changes her mind once I have some appointments set up to view places. She doesn't like change in any form and the prospect of living in a supervised apartment building doesn't appeal to her for reasons beyond my understanding.

My mother has decided that there is an apartment buiding close to where she now lives that she would like to go. Again, there is no logic in this as she doesn't have a great love of the area or even have many friends in this area of town. Even shopping that she does is at the other end of town. But she's a creature of habit and we will go through the dance of talking and looking and thinking and then most likely she'll bow out once more.

I understand wanting to remain in your own home as along as possible. But what I don't understand is not wanting safety,security and peace of mind that comes with someone else looking after the day to day details of living. Then there are her two cats which she won't be parted from, no matter what. She can barely look after herself let alone them, yet resolutely hangs onto that thread of independence - and the cats.

So I will enter the dance once more of finding apartments, setting up appointments, coaxing this woman as I would a small child, with bribes of treats, to go visit the apartments and most likely she will refuse again.

She is the ultimate creature of habit and never ventures outside her comfort zone. Not even as a child can I remember her doing so, not in a work setting nor on a personal level. But dancing the dance is part of the habit too, so I'll indulge it. It might be my turn one day.

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