Ready to return

 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 – Ready to Return

When the simple act of choosing a restaurant for dinner seems like an unwelcome burden, it’s time for the vacation to end.  Yes, we’ve arrived at that point.  Last night, my solution to the restaurant issue was to bring in a croissant for Elliott (that’s all he requested) and some take-out salads from a vegetarian restaurant for myself.  As I struggled with the plastic fork, I couldn't help thinking that the salads I make are better. 

This morning, as usual, I poured Cheerios into bowls, counted out the vitamins, and started the coffee.  I’m sitting here in my St. Pete hotel room, listening to a weather report for sunshine and mid-70s – and thinking about getting back to my steaming oatmeal, my fitness center, my daily yoga practice, my radio station, my friends, my school, and more. 

And here’s something ironic.  One of the greatest thrills of retirement was not having to get up at 5 in the morning.  But for the last few weeks, I’ve been getting up at 5 again.  It’s because Elliott gets up then to take the medications that control his pain.  He turns on the light, and I immediately wake up.   When we get home, he’ll try to shift the every-8-hour schedule slightly so that we can sleep until 6, a much more civilized time to start the day.