I am sitting and listening to the rain outside. My window is open and the breeze is cool. It feels so nice. Most people would probably find it chilly, but since I'm always warm, it feels really nice when the coolness reaches my skin. It's been a quiet Sunday; I read the paper, cuddled up to my husband and took a nap while he watched the Bears lose. My son is working hard on his homework. In a little while Dana will make dinner and the three of us will watch the Emmys. And tomorrow, the outside world invades again as another week starts.
This week was pretty good, I got dressed and went outside three times! I know for those of you who leave your house everyday this is not a big deal; but I am not sure when the last week that I went out three times happened. So here, in my world, that is kind of a big deal. A good friend of mine is the Canon for Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Chicago diocese of the Episcopal church. On Tuesday, I went down to her work and had lunch with her. We went out for Mexican food; while the food was okay, it was the company and the conversation that made the meeting great. I have so much respect for her and the work she does. It was nice to spend some time together where I wasn't just "Nick's mom".
On Wednesday I was back downtown in the same neighborhood visiting my doctor. I see her every 6-8 months to check my blood pressure and have blood drawn to check my thyroid. She has been my doctor for a long time and has been on this journey through death with me. She takes time to sit and talk with me and she listens. She keeps me as healthy as she can while I work all this through. She knows only I can take this walk to find healing and to find myself again.
I did, what for me, was a fair amount of walking those two days. And I noticed that when I get up and walk even two days in a row, I am not so stiff. It feels pretty good. I felt exhausted when I got home, but I did it. I left my house two days in a row.
The third day was Saturday. Andrea and I went out to Yorkville to pick up our kids. She is the driver and I am the navigator when we take these trips. It was a lovely day and we were out of the city amongst the corn fields. We got there early and just sat on a bench enjoying the day and the quiet and the corn fields. It was a really great day spent with one of my closest friends. We had not spent a great deal of time together recently, so it made a lovely day even more enjoyable since I got to have time with her.
And now, it's bedtime. My son is almost done with homework and my husband lies next to me in our bed snoring like there's no tomorrow! I will curl up with my teddy and watch a little more television before I turn out the light and see what next week brings.
This week was pretty good, I got dressed and went outside three times! I know for those of you who leave your house everyday this is not a big deal; but I am not sure when the last week that I went out three times happened. So here, in my world, that is kind of a big deal. A good friend of mine is the Canon for Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Chicago diocese of the Episcopal church. On Tuesday, I went down to her work and had lunch with her. We went out for Mexican food; while the food was okay, it was the company and the conversation that made the meeting great. I have so much respect for her and the work she does. It was nice to spend some time together where I wasn't just "Nick's mom".
On Wednesday I was back downtown in the same neighborhood visiting my doctor. I see her every 6-8 months to check my blood pressure and have blood drawn to check my thyroid. She has been my doctor for a long time and has been on this journey through death with me. She takes time to sit and talk with me and she listens. She keeps me as healthy as she can while I work all this through. She knows only I can take this walk to find healing and to find myself again.
I did, what for me, was a fair amount of walking those two days. And I noticed that when I get up and walk even two days in a row, I am not so stiff. It feels pretty good. I felt exhausted when I got home, but I did it. I left my house two days in a row.
The third day was Saturday. Andrea and I went out to Yorkville to pick up our kids. She is the driver and I am the navigator when we take these trips. It was a lovely day and we were out of the city amongst the corn fields. We got there early and just sat on a bench enjoying the day and the quiet and the corn fields. It was a really great day spent with one of my closest friends. We had not spent a great deal of time together recently, so it made a lovely day even more enjoyable since I got to have time with her.
And now, it's bedtime. My son is almost done with homework and my husband lies next to me in our bed snoring like there's no tomorrow! I will curl up with my teddy and watch a little more television before I turn out the light and see what next week brings.
I am so proud of you. Often, the first steps are the hardest. So, so glad you got out three times last week.
ReplyDeleteCindy