I’ve fallen and I can’t get up

I remember watching those commercials for the medical alarms. There was an older person on the floor in the living room or the kitchen shouting to who knows who “ Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”. We would laugh so hard and imitate the people in the commercial. We thought it was sooo funny.
My mom does not want one of those bracelets or necklaces that notify some person that she has fallen and cannot get up. She always pictured herself landing in some embarrassing position or heaven forbid the bathroom and the faceless person would insist upon calling the EMTs. No, my mom will not have it. You see she says she doesn’t need it because she can just call me now and call she did well, actually she face timed me.
Yup, I was finishing up chores and my phone went off mom was FaceTiming me. Odd at that hour. I pick up the call and there she is, a little flushed leaning up against the couch in the living room. Mmm my mind is going to a few places here trying to make sense of this picture. Then she tells me she fell in the kitchen, her knee gave out and down she went like a sack of potatoes. She could not get up but did manage to get herself into the living room. If I could come over that would be great. No rush, she wasn’t going anywhere. SMH.
Of course I go right over. There she is, sitting on the floor watching tv with the cat in her lap. Wow, my mom was the lady in the medical alarm commercial. It took a few minutes to figure out the best way to get her up off the floor and on to the couch. She laughed when I imitated the commercial and started saying help I’ve fallen and I can only crawl to the living room. We laughed but inside it made me sad to see my mom as the lady in the commercial. She looked so small, so vulnerable, so frustrated that her body was betraying her. My heart ached for her and a little for myself too. It was another chink in the armor that was mom.
We never think about these moments when we are young. Never think a time will come when you will mother your mother. There really is no way to prepare for this privilege because it really is a bittersweet privilege. I get to be there for her as she has been for me.
Ive fallen and I can’t get up has taken on new meaning for me. It isn’t just a silly commercial with some actor person calling out to the world for help. It’s my mom, sitting on the floor trying to look calm and self assured as she FaceTimes with me to tell me she’s fallen and can’t get up.