"Taking Care of" and "Caring for"

In our way of thinking there is a difference between “taking care of,” and “caring for.”  You could include that some people also take care of and care for animals or objects, such as horses and stamp collections.  But, right now we’re thinking about people.
 
Taking care of people is management.  For example, Dr. M. takes care of my medicines and the disordered parts of our thinking.  As a side, he does not treat the condition of multiplicity (that is here to stay), he does treat some of our symptoms/problems that multiplicity or depression cause such as suicidal ideation, poor communication, being distrustful and overwhelmed, or fear of authority figures.   
 
Sr. Tess takes care of the center by paying bills, leading meetings, or supervising the individual’s lunch period.  Forest Path has taken care of us in the supervision of work tasks or minor emergencies.  Parents take care of young childrens' needs such as flat bicycle tires and scheduling appointments.  At work, we take care of maintaining client files and processing Qnotes.
 
In some of these cases the management is continuous, but when a manager is working directly with a person/people the goal most often is to teach the other how to take care of their independence.
 
Caring for people is a shared experience.  For example, if I’m managing my own problems, Dr. M. can care for or share the experience of excellent thoughts or being happy.  Sr. Tess can care for or share experience of God by singing with the individuals in chapel.  Forest Path cares for or shares experiences with his buddies such as golfing, fishing, and playing cards.  Parents share with their adult children the experiences of eating out, coloring Easter eggs with grandchildren, or talking on the phone.  Yesterday, I sat back and experienced learning with the group.
 
It seems to us that caring for individuals is a two-way 50-50 division of energy expended and has largely to do with sharing work, relaxation and joy.  Taking care of individuals is more like an “empowered” task assumption by maintainer and maintainee.  Both roles of caring for and taking care of are legitimate.  And, maybe we all need and love the experience and balance of both!