Beautiful Blindspots

I was rounding at a nursing home where the elderly residents have dementia. I looked down the hallway and saw a man ambling away from me. He had put his pants on the wrong way, the zipper on his backside.

As I watched, a kind nurse pointed this out to him as she was passing by. In response, the man wrapped his hands around his belt and tugged vigorously to one side. But without first taking his legs out, his earnest efforts were all in vain. Nevertheless, he continued to tug, determined to turn his pants around.

The moment gave me pause. My heart went out to him. This gentle man seemed so lost there in the hallway. He continued to tug and tug, and became understandably frustrated. I found the nurse and she brought him to his room, helping him correct his pants.

There are so many tender and poignant moments in life. He didn’t see me observing him, nor was it likely he would have remembered even if he had. But these few seconds did remind me that there is much we are all unaware of as we walk through life.