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My grandpa loves bacon. However, recently he had an ulcer and the doctors gave us a list of foods for him to avoid. Which included bacon. Every day at breakfast, he would look at his plate, look up at us, and ask, “Bacon?”
I skipped the last two weeks of blog posts thinking that the only real thing that captures my mind is not the beautiful surroundings of Costa Rica but the antics of my dysfunctional grandparents. Every morning my grandpa will ask me if I am finished with my book yet (I have given up explaining that it’s a blog). One morning he told me I should write about my time with the elderly.
We had a late Thanksgiving this year, as we were waiting on my mom and aunt Lisa to come to Costa Rica. I am so used to all the work I would do before Black Friday that on Thanksgiving Day I had to be reminded and when we celebrated Thanksgiving last Sunday it just felt like a big meal. I would never have realized how much working tied into making the holidays seem special to me, but there it is.
My cousin is devoted to her work. She does a great job and has risen through the ranks pretty quickly. Recently, she was given a promotion and pay raise. It’s easy to be proud of her, but to me, it was like looking in a mirror at all the reasons I quit my job. I see how hard she works from the morning late into the night. It consumes her.
Earlier today my Grandpa was telling me that he made it to 93. When I asked him what year he was born he told me, “1930. Why, what year are we in?” After telling him we were in 2021, he was frustrated and said people were always taking years away from him. I told him that with the Lunar year the Chinese would start with 1 when you were born, so that would get him to at least 92.
It is really hard to sleep late in Costa Rica. Around 5 am the light is shining through the window. I have always been an early riser so I don’t mind it. Most every morning, I wake while it is dark and walk up to my cousin Nikki’s place. Then we both walk to the bottom of the mountain, touch the main road, and then walk back up. Over time this has gotten much easier. When I first started, it felt like I needed a break or my heart would explode. Now I am just breathing pretty heavy at the end.
Many times on this blog I’ve mentioned my grandpa that lives in Costa Rica. As a child, he was kind of a hero to me. A larger-than-life figure and seemed like an older version of Crocodile Dundee with a little Indiana Jones mixed in. He was physically fit into his nineties and sharp enough to beat anyone at chess (unless you played him after his bedtime). The house he lives in is on a little slice of paradise with breathtaking views and nature all around. He whiles his day away coming up with inventions and reading.
The last week was really emotional for my little family unit. Delilah and I would look at each other constantly and comment on how weird things were or even “What the heck are we doing?” I’m sure most people already have a place to move into when they sell their house.
September was a little hectic for me. Delilah has been acting as an extra on a tv show (which I am happy for her, just the timing is terrible), I was trying to wrap up everything at work before I left, and there was a myriad of issues to take care of while selling our house.
Many years ago, I would go to a real estate investors club in Fort Worth. It was where people who wanted to start real estate investing would go to learn and network with those who had been in it a little longer than they had. I met some amazing people and good friends, as well as learned from some very seasoned professionals. Some of it was like a whole other world to me, the clock-punching shmoe that I was.