Almost There!

Back to normal living, again, that is. I was a bit jittery about going out on Friday, but I not only survived the trip, I also had a great time. As I had predicted, the traffic was horrendous. We left ourselves twenty extra minutes, but even that wasn’t enough. We were no sooner on the expressway than everything just stopped. Then we inched along for the next few miles. All at once, traffic surged forward, but not for long. Everything halted again and inched again. This happened three more times. I was glad I had brought my book! The turnpike was also crowded, and that’s when I needed to call my sister-in-law. We were fifteen minutes late at that point, and we had no idea how long the jam would be. The final part of the journey went quickly, but we were on the road for an hour and three-quarters for what should have been a fifty-minute drive.

Once inside, I could relax again, and the conversation just flowed. My husband is the second youngest in the family, and it’s funny to see that family position take hold again when he’s with his siblings. Because of the awful heat, my sister-in-law made lighter fare for dinner. She purchased two kinds of pork barbecue from a nearby farm and market. It’s was absolutely delicious, and I’m not a big barbecue fan. My other sister-in-law made potato salad and crunchy Asian salad. Everything was easy for me to handle, and I enjoyed being among them. My dessert went over well, and I gave out the recipe – always a sign that it tasted good. We lingered at the table, just chatting, and before we knew it, it was time to go. The return trip had no traffic jams.

So, all of that was very positive. Were there any drawbacks? As usual, this disability comes with problems, so I wasn’t surprised at anything. First it was my getting into her place, which is usually easy. However, she replaced the cement path with flat stones on grass. I said I’d walk – it’s a short distance, but my husband insisted on my being in the wheelchair. It was a bit bumpy, but I didn’t really mind it. Once inside, there had to be a jockeying of positions, and that embarrasses me. Because it’s a retirement community, there’s an open floor plan, and the doors are extra wide. The snag was that my SIL is a beautiful decorator, and the guest bathroom had a small desk and chair against one wall. My husband had to squeeze me through the door. There was also a small oriental carpet on the floor which impeded my movement. But it worked out without any real problems.

After that trip, I felt ready to continue; so, I went to church yesterday. When I feel perfectly okay, I can do all the standing, kneeling, and sitting. But I’m not totally back to baseline yet, and for much of the Mass, I just sat. Even getting back into the house, with all the steps, wasn’t a big deal. I was great the rest of the day, and I think I may have turned the corner. Little by little, I’m trying to get my life back. I think I’m almost there!

Peace,

Muff