It's time for drastic action to get SalmonEnchantedEvening back...

[Jamastiene]

100. I have been taking care of a quadriplegic relative for 20 years now.

Your first problem is your mentality about it. As hard as it is, it is a blessing to be able to care for another human being that no one else in the family is willing to care for, especially when it is an older relative. You learn a lot from older relatives and they can be a real joy to be around, if you quit looking at them like a burden and start looking at the entire situation differently. Yes, the human body can be a real nightmare to keep clean, especially when it is another person's body you need to manually care for, but remember there is a person attached to that body. You have to remember it is not easy for them either. Put yourself in their shoes, mentally, and you will realize why your attitude should change. It is NOT easy for them to be in a situation where they have to rely on a family member to take care of them like that.

There are a lot of positives from taking care of a sick parent/relative. In between the work part of it, there are lots of chances to get to spend more time with them and talk to them and, most importantly, listen to them.

I, too, have boxes of stuff from storage that I haven't had time to unpack or go through. I haven't use it in years. Most of it is out and out junk when I stop to think about it. It's no big deal any more really. My entire life is different now than it was 20 years ago...and it is better than it was back then too. It is all in how you look at it. Your attitude is what is causing your trouble.

The bottom line is that you accused SCE of something he is not. Would it kill you to apologize to him or, at the very least, delete references to DUers' real names in your post? They took the time to write you and you turned around and made the entire situation worse by posting their real names on DU for all the not-safe-at-all world to see.