Sometimes I wonder out loud why I can't just live a normal life. I see other people's lives and watch them as they go camping, fishing, traveling--even activities out in the yard--and I get a little homesick for the days when that was my life.
I can get away fairly frequently for a few hours or a day, but being a caregiver requires its sacrifices. And that means if I camp, I need to find a friend who can go, or go alone. And going alone means leaving Ann alone. Ann had a scary episode two summers ago on our family campout, and is terrified of trying it again. And I don't blame her.
Even around home, in the yard, life is not normal, nor what it used to be.
But that, my friends, is part of life. We aren't put here on this earth just to have a good time. I have the option of feeling sorry for myself, or realizing that I still have it very good. I may have to try a lot harder to find ways to travel, like finding lodgings that have recliners, but at least I have that. And at least I still have the company of my companion for the past 36 years. A lot of people can't say that. I am truly grateful for that.
Life can be hard. It can be a challenge to wake up every morning and wonder how you're going to deal with your day, how you're going to make it through. When I look at my load of work, after I get home from my job for the day, it sometimes seems overwhelming. But I'm glad God has given me the health and strength to do it. Just last weekend, I got sick and it was amazing how much that made things worse. So I'm very grateful for a sound body. Now a sound mind would be nice too, but we can't have everything.
So, if you're feeling overwhelmed, or down in the dumps, just remember, you've got a lot of blessings too.
2 comments:
Abby and I just had a talk about this. I asked her if she can stay with her best friend Sharon the next time I want to go hiking and camping. I won't leave her alone in her unhealthy condition. Thankfully she was agreeable, for if she wasn't, I wasn't willing to leave her alone.
That's the way I'm going to have to play things now too, Richard. I do have nearby children, well right now, my daughter actually lives with us, so I can leave for a while when I get the kids to check up on their mother, but to do things for more than a few days is pretty much not possible, and has been for the past 3-4 years. It's okay though. My relationship with Ann is more important than my life in the outdoors.
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