Casquenette

I find it somewhat ironic that as I am reading about "Louis the Goose," my old neighbour comes into the shop and starts talking about his wife and my mother. Mr. Koch's wife suffers with Alzheimer's; my mom, a genetic disease known as Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy, and this terribly sweet elderly man says "Well, we just have to learn to how live through it." Although seemingly common knowledge, I've been hearing this same thing said to be for days now. All the time. it's like in Shakespeare (I'm a nerd, I know): when things are repeated, the author is trying to get a message through to you.
Here I am, sitting and fretting about going away in the fall for thousands of reasons, when really, even if I am here next year, even if I work my tushie off in the next five months (five months already!!), whatever happens will happen regardless of whatever I do; it is in fact what i do with the outcome that is really going to affect me. I mean, Mr. Koch is married to a woman who is slowly forgetting everything that makes her her and forgetting who he is (I can only imagine it is painstakingly difficult to have to watch someone you love drift away from you so slowly), and he is ok with that. I mean, he is not okay with it, the man tears and has deep love for her after all, but he is okay with it! He is just dealing with it, and what he has to deal with is a great deal more to deal with than I will as a result of going away to school. Serisouly, how long have I been this daft?