My whole life she was proper and well poised. Never a hair out of place, and her outfits were just right. She used to call me her long stemmed rose, and reminded me to always carry myself as such.
And then…the darkness came. 
Slowly and quietly, without us realizing it.
And then one day it was too late, and the darkness had taken her completely.
But there was one bright moment towards the last days of her life, when I walked into the hospital room, and she looked at me and said, “Megan”…and then just as quickly as she had seen the light, she slipped back into darkness.
Darkness.
My grandmother died of Lewey’s Body Dementia, a disease that can clinically be best described as a combination of Alzheimers and Parkinsons, and bluntly be called the tenth circle of hell.
It’s my worst nightmare.
Just darkness…and a life erased.
Sure, the people whom you love, your family, your friends, your co-workers – they remember you. They hold onto your last conversations, your last laughs, the sparkly bits of your life where you were at your best and brightest. They treasure the moments that you shared, while mourning that there will be no more.
Whether it’s your spouse or parent or grandparent- there’s a million conversations to be had, all on borrowed time. For you don’t know what tomorrow brings, or if you’ll remember yesterday…
It’s HORRIBLE, is it not?
To not remember your name, your family, your work is quite possibly one of the worst tragedies that so many have to face in this life.
That, among about a million other things, hit me straight in the gut when I saw the play, The Humans (written by Stephen Karam and directed by Joe Mantello.) And yes, a million other things. Because this story represents a million different stories all rolled into one. It’s outstanding.
The formal synopsis is thus:
What I’ll tell you is this:
Currently playing on Broadway at The Helen Hayes Theatre, The Humans is a show about nothing and everything at the same time. It’s a show about family. It’s a show about heartache. It’s a show about tradition. It’s a show about change. It’s a show about pride. It’s a show about loss. It’s a show about survival.
I could not stop thinking about this play, for it’s truly a theatrical masterpiece.
Go see it, now. (And tell us what you think later via the comments section below, or on twitter @TheWriteTeach!)
Live, Love, Learn,