Day 23-27

Day 23-27: Decision making days

I was off blogging but I sure was busy making decisions for my dad with my mom and sister.

On Friday after the potluck with my neighbour families, I went to see my dad. He seemed well, and he told me that he had lunch sitting up in a wheel chair and he ate more than half of it. Then he went on about how he could raise his hip a bit when a nurse asked him to. I took that opportunity to explain how much his body could still adapt to even a small exercise he'd been doing with me. With proper programming and constant work, he'd see a remarkable change. And I said, "That is what rehabilitation is all about." To that, his response was, "I did not know that. I thought rehabilitation was bullying. But I think you're right. It makes sense."

I felt motivated. I felt very encouraged. We need to keep communicating with him.

On that night, I decided to just have a talk. Originally I wanted to have a chat with my sister first to see what she'd got to say, but I did not want to wait any longer.

The talk with my mom and my sister got a little emotional at times. Yes, I'd seen how hard it had been dealing with my dad's conditions. But the last three years I was away from home, things got a bit chaotic. I understand all the emotions and feelings that my mom and my sister have toward my dad. I do not blame them for feeling that way. It's just that I have changed my beliefs and I've become a new person. 

We came to the decision to move my dad to a "home (I don't know what it should be called in English)" that provides with a rehabilitation program. The best option I could think of to keep my dad under better care while keeping my mom's sanity.

A lot of things that were discussed that night really put me into deep thoughts. The purpose of life, sacrificing yourself for something that has no value to yourself, or the fact that you can't change someone's mind but you can never assume that that person will never change. Hearing "It is too late." is something I can never accept.

I believe that every human being is designed to be extraordinary. Sick or healthy, young or old. It's never too late.

I also do know that the change must come from within. I cannot change anyone's mind. I can only speak what I believe.

At least now we have a direction. I've already get the process started with the social worker at the hospital. It will be a long process and it's going to take up to 12 months before we can actually move my dad to a new place. It will be a challenge to keep communicating with my dad, keep him motivated and encouraged, and making sure that he gets the minimum amount of daily movement. At the same time, my family all need to recover and regain the strength and start living the life they deserve. For the rest of my stay here in Japan, it is my duty to speak about the importance of it all.

So that was the big part of my missing days.

The rest of it went like this.

Day 23

Potluck at my neighbour's. My meatball was NOT a hit among the kids. LOL. My middle son devoured the entire bowl of edamame. I found it interesting that one of the moms asked me about my training and what my body fat percentage was. She also compared my arm to a professional tennis player. I could not help but noticing the distance between her and myself.

Day 24

CrossFit training at Reebok CrossFit Musashino. Coach Miki destroyed us all, although he joined the team and did most of the weighted walking lunge. My quads are still sore.

Day 25

There was a huge thunderstorm in the afternoon, and I missed my window to visit my dad, but it cleared up by the evening, so I took the kids to a traditional dance festival called "Bon-odori" at the local elementary school. My older two boys found their old friends there and we all had a great time. 

Day 26

I went to talk to the social worker at the hospital, and then saw my dad in the morning. Then we went out with the neighbour families for pizza lunch and bowling fun. It's becoming our annual event.

Day 27

My youngest and I went to pick up his new Japanese passport. Then I went to see my dad. He was getting anxious about moving to a new place, but I told him that it'd be a long while. After dinner, we had a huge firework fun with our neighbour families.

Tomorrow my kids and I are heading to Nagano to see some of my old friends. I'm excited that the kids get to go on a bullet train.