Sophie qualifies for In Home Supportive Services funding, and as her primary caregiver, I am her provider. I am actually paid for this, and I couldn't be more grateful for it. Recently, though, IHSS changed the way timesheets are submitted, and over the last couple of months, they've sent out approximately 3,456,789 notices regarding the upcoming changes with sample time sheets, and more than 2,134,678 phone calls alerting us to the changes as well. I believe there was also a summit that addressed the change, but I missed it. I believe I've successfully filled out my first new time sheet but was struck by the old-fashioned Cut and Remove Before Mailing instruction. Surely they don't mean with scissors? I thought to myself this morning, looking for a perforation in the form. But, indeed, one must actually find a pair of scissors in one's home and neatly trim off the dotted edges, and while I did so I bowed my head in contemplation of the various skills that have stood me well during the last eighteen, often interminable years. One of them is finger dexterity, the other a careful attention to detail, and a third the ability to be mindful in all tasks and simultaneously struck with the absurdity of all of it. Every last bit.
