Wednesday, November 12, 2014

One Wedding and a Funeral

I took two significant trips this year – one to England to attend a funeral, and the second to the East Coast to be in a wedding. Leaving town means missing my four weekly therapy sessions, which keep my physical discomfort to a minimum; so I’ve developed a strategy for dealing with muscle stiffness while traveling.

Following my own advice (Travel Tips for Survivors), I stayed in comfortable, accessible accommodations for multiple nights, and identified a local gym. Using a gym worked out the kinks from the plane ride and kept my energy level steady. I’ve learned from experience that surrendering to the notion that I need to rest for a couple days after a long plane ride simply allows my muscles to stiffen and lethargy to overcome me.

From the gym window in Kent County, England, I watched a horse frolicking in a green, green field. At the gym in Charlotte, North Carolina, my workout was interrupted by a fire drill; while we waited in the parking lot for the “all-clear,” my friend and her fiancé practiced their first dance, giving me a privileged first peek.  
After the wedding my husband and I drove to Canada for a week in a cottage by a lake. I mustered my courage and got into a paddle boat, and an inner tube being towed behind a pontoon. But the triumph was climbing into a canoe and paddling – better on the left than the right, but enough for my husband to feel the contribution.

I can paddle a boat, canoe?

8 comments:

  1. You continue to amaze and uplift my spirits. What strides you have made and what an inspiration you are. Go Girl!

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  2. So glad you are back in the writing saddle! Have missed you. Judith M.

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  3. You can PADDLE? But I'm mostly impressed you were brave enough to go tubing. Nice work.

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  4. Thank you for including us in your story my beautiful maid of honor. And thanks for reminding me I need to exercise even when tired from a long journey. :)

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  5. Girlfriend...you ROCK!
    XOXOX
    Sherrie

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  6. I like the reminder not to submit to lethargy! You and your husband look awesome in the boat on the lake - you are lovely!

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  7. It's so uplifting to read how you meet your challenges and have fun doing it. The photo just flashes happiness!

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