Ruth Ozeki Quote

Later on, I asked her [her mother], How does it feel?What?When you can't remember things. Does it frighten you? Do you feel sad?Well, not really. I have this condition, you see. It's called osteo...ost...You mean Alzheimer's? I said, helping her out.She looked astonished. Yes! How on earth did you know that?Just a guess...I can never remember the name, she explained.Of course not.It affects my memory......And that's why you can't remember?She frowned and shook her head. Remember what?There's not a single thing I can do about it, she told me when I reminded her. If there was something I could do and wasn't doing it, then I could feel sad or depressed. But as it is... She shrugged.So you're okay with it?She looked at me, patiently. I don't have much choice, she explained. So I may as well be happy.

Ruth Ozeki

Later on, I asked her [her mother], How does it feel?What?When you can't remember things. Does it frighten you? Do you feel sad?Well, not really. I have this condition, you see. It's called osteo...ost...You mean Alzheimer's? I said, helping her out.She looked astonished. Yes! How on earth did you know that?Just a guess...I can never remember the name, she explained.Of course not.It affects my memory......And that's why you can't remember?She frowned and shook her head. Remember what?There's not a single thing I can do about it, she told me when I reminded her. If there was something I could do and wasn't doing it, then I could feel sad or depressed. But as it is... She shrugged.So you're okay with it?She looked at me, patiently. I don't have much choice, she explained. So I may as well be happy.

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About Ruth Ozeki

Ruth Ozeki (born March 12, 1956) is an American-Canadian author, filmmaker and Zen Buddhist priest. Her books and films, including the novels My Year of Meats (1998), All Over Creation (2003), A Tale for the Time Being (2013), and The Book of Form and Emptiness (2021), seek to integrate personal narrative and social issues, and deal with themes relating to science, technology, environmental politics, race, religion, war and global popular culture. Her novels have been translated into more than thirty languages. She teaches creative writing at Smith College, where she is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities in the Department of English Language and Literature.