ice fight in the nursinghome

     This post has nothing to do with food. It is a story told by a co-worker that I thought was hilarious. To set the stage, the gentleman involved - we'll call him "Pop"-  is confined to a wheelchair. He is cantankerous, domineering, opinionated and prefers to not deal with any issue: A "Wife or kids will take care of everything" sort of guy. He jokes and teases, though is often sarcastic and people don't know how to "take" him.
     So the setting is a nursing home. The cast of characters - several residents in wheel chairs and possibly an aid (that part is unclear). Pop finds the ice machine unattended. This is a gift not to be missed and he grabs a handful of ice. Surprisingly(?), after throwing the ice at several fellow residents, said fellows also begin throwing ice. It seems 3 or 4 took part in this incident. When asked why did he start this? Didn't he know someone could have slipped and gotten hurt? What was he thinking? Reply - "It was fun"
     If you have ever worked in or visited a nursing home, you'll know this is not the expected behaviour. (There are several commentaries that could be made here about quality of life in a nursing home.) I say "good for them - to find a way to brighten the day." Sometimes we forget that nursing home residents are people, and their days are terribly boring. Sometimes they are not treated very respectfully. If you can get past the idea of the slipping hazard, can't you just see a group of old folks in wheelchairs in the midst of an ice fight? Reliving their childhoods? Maybe, but I think it just goes to show that the people we relegate to such places often still enjoy a good time. We laughed and laughed at this tale.
     And this morning, a padlock was found on the ice machine.