A nursing home is an interesting environment because the residents are either really outgoing and chatty or really withdrawn and quiet. It’s funny to think that one day my mom will be the quiet one because right now, she is the loudest person in the whole place.

When I visited my mom on Thanksgiving a man in his mid to late 60s struck up a conversation with me. He was sitting on one of the couches, plaid shirt, jeans, huge coke bottle glasses and as chatty and pleasant as he could be. I had to examine him to determine if he was a resident or a visitor. I finally decided that the house slippers he was wearing meant this was home for him.

He asked my mom, “Kathy, who is this?”

Mom said, “That’s my boy. That’s Matt.”

He turned to me, “You’re from DC?”

“Yep, that’s me.”

“How’ve you been?” he said. He was really studying my face and he look puzzled.

“I’ve been fine.”

“You’ve lost a lot of weight,” he said to me.

Now I have never met this guy before and it’s not unusual that folks that live there are confused. Sometimes you just gotta go with it and be who they think you are. But this man was different. He really seemed to be with it. And he seemed sure he knew me. So I took a shot in the dark…

“I think you’re thinking of my brother.” My brother is about 80 pounds heavier than me.

“Oh, Kathy has two boys?” he asked.

“Yes, she does. You would have met him when he was here last month,” I told him.

“Oh, ok. I just thought you must have been really sick or something.”

🙂