A "not so cheerful" Fourth of July

The residents were just not "up and at em" this morning. In fact, I wasn't even out of my room or on the way to breakfast, when a female resident made a break for the front door and actually got out. She didn't get very far away and ended up falling into a flower bed. She's all right. But I'm sure her pride was hurting when she came back into the building.

Then, at breakfast we had a younger male resident act up. He did not want to take his medicine from the nurse. All of a sudden, he pushed on the table and overturned his tray. Luckily, his aide was able to move fast enough so she did not end up wearing it.

There was a big sign in the dining room saying Happy Fourth Of July. We all looked at it and wanted to run the other way. If any of the residents were going out, most of them were gone before today. Although, one male resident who left right before lunch. I know he was told he was going but he was sitting in the dining room waiting for lunch. I have to say I have watched many residents pace waiting for family to pick them up for a holiday meal or get together. Pacing residents almost ruin their day for themselves by fretting. I think that male resident had a good idea when he decided to wait in the dining room.

It seemed like some of the residents did not want to come down to lunch. That's common any day, but is much more common on a holiday.

I think that the staff who works on holidays thinks we residents should be more grateful and happier because we have care and food. But most of the residents today looked kind of down in the mouth. We act like we're missing out on something really special. However, I don't know if any of us knows what that special thing is. The only thing we do know is that the special thing is not in this building.

The same male resident who acted up at breakfast did the same at lunch. So he was wheeled out and taken to his room the same as at breakfast. He is a long way from his southern home and never gets to see his mother. I'm sure he misses her, or he misses what he used to miss about her.

I keep myself very busy on holidays so it's hard for me to feel down. I don't expect my sister to call. She usually gets together with her husband's family and they have a family thing. Neither they nor I want to mess up the other's holiday by calling and possibly interrupting.

Another thing is recurring again this month. There will be a full moon on July 9. Last month the full moon's effects were felt early, on June 4, because many residents disrupted the normal flow compared to days not near a full moon.

Perhaps the approaching full moon had some of the residents in a tizzy today. But, I would bet it was just those holiday feelings again.