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Along Life’s Way
Her Uncomfortable Situation
By Lois E. Wilson
Like many her age, Grandma had gotten thinner and more frail over the
years. She had experienced some broken bones and was recovering from a
partial hip replacement. Her hobbies required her to sit for several
hours at a time. At a family gathering, she complained her bottom would
get so painful from these sessions she would take a Tylenol.
“When I was younger and thinner, Grandpa got me a gel cushion to sit on
during long trips. It was helpful, but after a year or two it began to
leak. We discarded it.
“I began feeling the pain again this summer. I stocked up with Tylenol
and tried putting a bed pillow on the seat of my Rollator, TV chair, or
wherever I sat for a long time. The pillow seemed too soft, and the
case I covered it with was unsightly.
“I inherited Grandpa’s foam wheelchair cushion which is about 3 inches
thick. It had a black cover which showed milk and other items dropped
on it. Also, I couldn’t get it out of its tight cover to wash it, and
my pain wasn’t alleviated.
“I had a large piece of 3 ½ inch foam. I cut it down with my paper
cutter. The result was too small, so to keep it on the Rollator seat I
turned it diagonally. This looked silly with its points sticking out
the front, sides, and back. I had no pillowcase big enough to cover it.
“I bought an egg case cushion like I had seen on TV. They demonstrate
how it distributes one’s weight so you can sit on top of eggs resting
on the cushion. I didn’t try the egg test for fear it would break the
eggs and I’d have to clean up a mess. It still wasn’t comfortable
enough.”
A granddaughter piped up and said, “Grandma, you sound just like
Goldilocks when she was in the three bears’ house. She never was
satisfied with anything she found. One of your cushions leaked, one was
too soft, one too small, and some had no covers.”
Grandma answered, “I guess I’ll just have live with the pain. I’m sorry
I complain so much. You’re right—I did sound liked Goldilocks.”
A few days later Grandma received a notice from her daughter-in-law:
“Tomorrow you will be receiving a memory foam cushion. We hope it works
out for you.” Grandma checked the porch several times until the
doorbell rang—there it was. She opened the package and put the cushion
on her Rollator seat. ”Oh, that feels better!” she thought.
When her son and wife visited, she decided to have a little fun. “You
know I’ve tried that memory cushion for a couple of weeks. I don’t know
if I’m impressed or not. Its osmosis didn’t seem to work to improve my
memory.
Her son smiled and looked at the memory foam seat. “Well, Mom, you may
not be impressed, but you sure made a big impression on it!”
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