I’m an idiot

Meet JR. He’s a cook at my favorite café. He’s great at what he does and when he’s not busy joins me for a quick chat.  Neat dude.

Mom and I went there for lunch today then to Dairy Queen. I needed to pick up some prescriptions for her at Safeway. The pharmacy is way in the back of the store so I don’t really want mom to trudge back there. Usually I plant her at the Starbucks near the entrance and she’s good about waiting. But today I really fucked up (pardon the language but it’s the only way to describe it). She needed to use the restroom so I showed her where it was then pointed to the tables where I wanted her to rest. Two directions at once. What was I thinking!   (That is not  meant sarcastically.)

It took longer than hoped at the pharmacy. When I returned to the front of the store she was nowhere to be found. I asked for help finding her and the only thing that they would do was to page her to Starbucks. I told them that wouldn’t work but no other assistance was offered.

I ran around the store like a maniac hoping that she’d be having a look around. I poked my head outside. Nothing. After looking for her for what seemed like forever, I turned towards the door again and she walked in.

She was so frantic, upset and confused. I was scared to death so I can’t imagine what she went through.

When we got home I couldn’t get her settled down from her fright. The only thing I could think of was to get her to relax by listening to the Calm app. But her hearing is worse than mine so I hooked my small laptop to the television and played the Daily Calm and a Nap Story. It did the trick. I now know that I have another tool in the toolbox for those times when she’s super emotional and agitated.

Enormously important lesson learned today. I hope to never screw up like that again. I feel awful that I put her through that.