Everybody Plays Charades

Happy Independence Day!

In this post, I elaborated on Adored Wife's anomic aphasia, her brain's occasional inability to come up with the correct word.  It's not a hugely impairing thing; probably 98% of the time the right term is there when she needs it.  It's just enough of an issue to be noticeable in conversation, and the family has gotten pretty good at figuring out what AW wants to say from her gestures and clues and "pointer words."

For instance, if she's trying to come up with "garage" and her mind isn't supplying it, she'll point toward it and say something like "where we keep the cars."  It works pretty well.  Or with the word "scissors" she'll act it out with her fingers, that sort of thing.

In conversation with her the other night I noted that the family had gotten pretty good at speaking her language, and she was quick to let me know that it wasn't just her family.  Her Sunday School class and the people at the community theater and a few neighbors (all of whom she spends significant time with) are pretty accustomed to deciphering her as well.

Everybody she knows reasonably well has learned to play charades.

And it got me to thinking about the whole idea of "normal," (as in "the neighbors think we're.....").  AW's friends and family have a relationship with her in which it's normal to have to sometimes guess at the word she wants.  And she's very happy to have friends who are willing to do that to have a conversation with her.

And I just wanted to express my appreciation to all of those who are willing to play along with those of us who aren't quite as normal as some.  Thanks for playing charades, friends.  That's just how we roll around here.