I am 36 years old. I served in the Navy and handled guns and bad guys. In theory I should not be afraid of much, or so you think. Of course you can comment on being in the Navy being a tough guy. I can take it.
After my grandfather died my Grandmother, Martha, lived by herself for what I think was another 15+ years before she died from complications from Alzheimer’s. That was some 10 years ago, but let me get to the point.
My wife and son have been out of town for 2 weeks and left me home with the dog, Peaches, who if you have met Peaches the Bulldog, she is no watch dog. I have been keeping myself busy at night reading or watching Top Gear, but I don’t like going to sleep. I am still in a new house and it still makes noises that at times wake me up. I am not going to lie to you, on top of the house being pretty empty, and the fact that crime is on the rise in Charlotte I am scared stiff to go to bed, and it hip me this week that this is why my grandmother never slept.
You could go by the house at anytime after mid-night and she would be up. Once while I in the Navy stationed in Japan I called her in the middle of the night by accident and she was up cleaning. It was sad really but I never understood it until this week. She was lonely and scared. So to wrap this up if you have a grandparent who is left alone, go visit them so they can get some sleep.
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August 13th, 2008 at 12:34 am
I understand your fears about crime, etc. since we have our own fair share (if one can even use that term when discussing something negative). I hope you sleep better tonight. I’m almost betting you will.
In all fairness though, grandma was always a night owl and cleaned at night throughout dad’s childhood. When the Alzheimer’s set in, sometimes her mind couldn’t remember when to sleep so she was up a good bit and eventually she started sleeping too much in the last few years. I sure do miss her!