rattlesnake runLast week at this time, Nancy and I were between Baltimore, MD. and Winchester, VA. We were headed to our friends’ home in Elkins WV. We actually were away for about 66 hours. It is the longest respite interlude we have had in several years. It was great to be someplace else. It was great to be with friends that really understood our distraction. Ralph and Alice share their home with Alice’s dad.
It was complicated, covering all 66 hours. At times, I thought the stress of getting it all together was not worth the relaxation we would enjoy. There were even times that I could not help wondering how Mom was, and if I had done the right thing. It isn’t easy to disentangle yourself from the every day routine. While Mom could not have articulated the fact that I wasn’t home, (she never even remembers my name anymore)  I know that some things just did not go so smoothly for her.
There are some things we do, she wont do for anyone else. I am about the only one who can navigate a transfer to the car. So even if she can’t say “it’s good to have you back, Skip,” I know that everyone (including me) felt a little safer when our brief vacation was over.
I really enjoyed the mountains, I even enjoyed being whooped at dominoes, but I can only let down for so long. There is a comfortable safety for me in the ordinary and the routine. It is as if the frustrations of day to day stress is easier to shoulder than the uncertainty of not having my hand in Mom’s daily rituals. It was good to get away, but it is good to be back now.
That’s all for now.
SkipB