ROSHI’S POEM

Whenever I hear
The edgeless sound
In the deep night
O Mother!
I find you again.

Whenever I stand
Beneath the light
Of the seamless sky
O Father!
I bow my head.

The sun goes down
Our shadows dissolve
The pine trees darken
O Darling!
We must go home.
— Leonard Cohen

This morning I walked around my backyard and heard, first, the sound of a California Oriole calling out to claim he has returned to his California home. Then, looking for him among the plum blossoms, I could see his bright yellow feathers and regal black hood. He and his mate have returned home to nest and raise their next generation.

Home is a universal and instinctual desire to have and create. Trying to include some important elements of what each resident feels is home for them is a calling of ours. What are the important elements needed to call a place home? There are many. I thought of a few: Being and feeling safe; being connected to people who care about us; living with a routine that includes daily care for wellbeing; eating satisfying and delicious meals socially — even if the meal is puréed!; enjoying activities like listening to or singing a favorite song; cheering on a special team during a sporting event; reading a magazine, poem, or story that features one’s interests in the world; or doing something that has purpose for others.

Yesterday a resident reached out to a fellow resident who was feeling anxious about what she should be doing next. She offered companionship through humor — triggering laughter in all of us — as we watched a film about the 1970s pop phenomenon ABBA. She had purpose in helping others to smile and be at ease in the moment. Ultimately, feeling at ease has to be at the top of the list for feeling at home. Being in the moment, with acceptance for wherever one is at on the dementia spectrum, supports that need to be at ease. To be at home.

SEATED ON A LOTUS FLOWER
The Buddha is often portrayed as sitting on a lotus flower, very fresh, very stable. If we are capable of sitting in the here and the now, anywhere we sit becomes a lotus flower.

— Thich Nhat Hanh, Your True Home