Time to get a little personal.

Christmas is my wife’s favorite holiday, so for the 24 years we’ve been married, we’ve always made a big deal about decorating. I’m in charge of hanging the exterior lights, and I love doing it up big for her. From the time we bought our first home in 2004, I’ve always outlined the roof with colored lights. That required me to get up on the roof with a staple gun and multiple rolls of lights, which I always did with very little hesitation.

Until this year.

This year I had everything prepared, got up on the ladder, got to the roof…

And froze.

No way. Not going to happen.

I just couldn’t bring myself to step off the ladder and onto the roof. The back of my brain was frantically hitting the override button and telling me, “You’re too old for this! Stop it!”

So I got down, did a little redesign, and came up with something that looks great (see pictures below!). I’m sure nobody will ever know the difference.

But I will.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot because it was a surprisingly big moment for me. I experienced firsthand the loss of independence that our clients face on a daily basis. It’s scary and disappointing! My moment may not be as serious as theirs, but being able to truly empathize with our clients is part of what sets Assisting Hands apart. What if their loss of independence means they can’t see their grandkids as often? Or get to the grocery store safely?

There are ways to deal with a loss of independence. One is to live with it and just do less. But a better option is to call in the professionals. Our caregivers are trained, background checked, and have to convince me that I could trust them to watch over my own loved ones. Let us help YOUR loved ones stay in the home they love and do all the things they want to do!

And next year, I’ll be calling the professionals for my exterior decorations.