Hi All,
Well, Arnold and I drove down from Montreal, to spend the entire Thanksgiving weekend with our dearest friends, Susan and Tony, who live in Little Neck, New York. This is in the borough of Queens in New York City. Visiting with them is always a trip down memory lane for me as they live just blocks away from the house in which I grew up.
They had 23 people in their home for Thanksgiving dinner, and believe it or not, everything remained under complete control, and a good time was had by all.
The night before Thanksgiving was Arnold's 51st birthday, and even with all the hubbub and preparations that were going on when we arrived Wednesday night, they still took the time to bake a lovely birthday cake for Arnold.
Friday was their 32nd wedding anniversary, so we invited them to join us for a Broadway show, The Drowsy Chaperone, to which we ordered the tickets a few months in advance. But, due to the stage hands strike, the show was canceled. But we drove down to Manhattan anyway, and took in the holiday atmosphere of Rockefeller Centre and dined at the famous Smith & Wollensky Steak House.
My main problem with traveling, however, is that it takes a tremendous toll on my system. Due to my chronic pain caused by osteo-necrosis and Crohn's Disease, I find sleeping in any bed but our own adjustable bed very difficult. Also, sitting in the car for hours on end, and getting in and out of the vehicle can be nothing short of tortuous. As you might imagine, when we arrive home from these kinds of trips, I pay a price for several days. We arrived home Sunday evening and I have been good for nothing ever since. I am hoping to begin feeling somewhat better by Wednesday or Thursday.
Many people have asked me why I continue to take long road trips such as this when I know it will cost me increased pain and discomfort. But to me, staying home is simply not an option. While I am still capable of actually moving and getting about, even with assistance, I intend to keep doing it. I owe it to myself, Arnold and our family and friends to not make myself a person who is uncomfortable to be around. I also do not want people to hesitate to invite us into their homes or to celebrate occasions with them. Of course, I am honest, and when I really am not up to something, I will tell the people with whom we were making plans that we cannot carry them out, but that is the exception rather than the rule. I just cannot bring myself to stay home day after day because I know that for me, that would definitely lead to severe depression.
I have no doubt that the day will arrive when I will have to cut out my travel and other activities, and I am prepared to do so. But until that day arrives, I thank God for my Arnold who does whatever he can to make living my life as interesting and fruitful as possible, and I feel blessed to have so many friends and family members who understand my condition and go out of their way to include me in their lives.
