I'm 7 years old again in our Shreveport kitchen, where Cuba has been transplanted to northern Louisiana; the air thick with roasted pork, black beans. That was joy.
But even then, I noticed the silences that shouldn't have been there; a relative pausing mid-story, the punchline lost somewhere between synapse and speech. My grandmother calling me by my father's name. A hand that once carved the pork now trembling as it reached for coffee.
Those moments shaped me; celebrations shadowed by the brain's quiet betrayals; and love measured by what we choose to notice.
Hers's why this should matter to you: Can your father still follow a conversation when the room gets loud? Has your mother told the
same story three times today? Does your uncle's hand shake when he reaches for his wine glass?
These aren't reasons to panic. They're reasons to pay attention; to ask gentle questions, to suggest a checkup. Because early recognition of brain changes can alter the course of disease, buy precious time, and sometimes even save a life.
Practice the art of noticing!
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