A young man named Oberus found himself in a peculiar and frustrating situation with his grandmother. For five long months, he was subjected to her strict command: “Don’t look down.” This directive came into play during mealtimes, specifically when he was pouring food onto a plate.
At 90 years old, Oberus’s grandma has been exhibiting signs of cognitive decline for several years. It all began after her husband passed away nearly two decades ago. Since then, her behavior has changed, and her focus has seemingly fixated on Oberus, the eldest of her grandkids. While her mental state has declined, her insistence on his posture has only intensified.
When Oberus poured food from a pan, he had to look straight ahead, making it nearly impossible to avoid spills. As soon as he looked down to aim the food, his grandma would chide him, insisting he keep his head up. During these moments, she would position herself directly in his line of sight, drawing his attention while he worked. The result was a chaotic mess of food landing outside the plate’s borders.
“Oberus! Look up! It’s bad for your neck!” she would exclaim. Caught between grandma’s demand and the task at hand, he tried to comply. The food, however, didn’t always make it onto the plate; some would inevitably spill over. “You’re spilling!” she would shout, deflecting her own responsibility onto him.
It didn’t end well for Oberus. Instead of his grandmother taking responsibility for her contradictory command, his father would intervene. He’d come rushing over to scold Oberus with a loud voice, frustrated that his son was being careless in their home. The irony of the situation was lost on both his dad and grandma. If only they had stopped to think about the cause of the mess, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so frustrating.
Despite the commotion, Oberus kept his head up, avoiding eye contact with the food. There was something almost comical about the entire ordeal, even if it often left him feeling annoyed. After five months of repeating the same cycle, it appeared that the stress of their unhappiness was wearing on grandma.
“Why are you yelling at him?” Oberus’s dad finally snapped one day, standing firm against his mother. “You’re the one making it impossible for him to pour food without spilling!” His loud reprimand echoed through the kitchen, making it clear that even he found the situation absurd.
“That’s not how this works,” the father continued, his frustration evident. “If you want him to look straight ahead, then you have to help him pour!” From that moment on, grandma seemed to rethink her approach to mealtime, realizing her command had caused more hassle than harmony.
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