Wandering into Today

I have such terrible wanderlust right now. Just watching a car commercial, I feel the urge to haul out the luggage and pack. We want to go back to the Bourbon Trail in Kentucky, see my aunt in Tennessee, visit my friend in Raleigh, and finally meet dear friends in person in Ohio.

It would be crazy to take off right now. The weather throughout the country is cold and snowy and not good for sightseeing! I must take a deep breath and just dream of the open road, the food and the time together. Maybe I need to talk Michael into a day off next week to just explore small roads, find a little lunch place and be together.

At the rehab class on Tuesday, we were talking about all the people who we never see anymore. We hoped that they were all well and just doing other things but the reality is that the majority of them have died. Families never think to share the death notice with the rehab staff because they normally become too ill to continue rehab then die maybe a month to a year later.

We were asking the RNs about some specific people we no longer see in class. It was then that we learned that one of my favorite people died last week. His name was Fred and he was 92 years old. He looked fantastic without a wrinkle on his face and always a chuckle in his voice during conversations. He was still mentally sharp. He still lived alone although he and his son had meals together. His son. Probably near 70-year old!

It will be very difficult to lose Sherman and Dick but the reality is that I will probably out-live them both. So not wanting to think about that, we teased Sherman during the entire class and told him that Dick and I were beginning to plan his 90^th birthday party only 23-1/2 months away!  We have to get him through two Christmas’ and two flu seasons! In the past, Sherman told me about this horrible old bar near Colma – a city of cemeteries – where people usually meet for drinks after a funeral. We told him that was where we would throw the big party. Sherman replied that it was close enough to the cemetery, as he would rather die than have us throw him a party. We had the entire class and the RNs involved in the discussion. Hilarious!

Yesterday, I went to the difficult yoga class for the second time and I did better, though still short of breath at one point. I need to bring my oxygen with me next week. I am not even sore this morning! Orchestra rehearsal went well last night until break time when one of the members mentioned that he was the only one well in his household. The other bass player, Gerry and I stood up as if on cue and moved away. Neither of us can afford to get sick.

I am out early this morning to meet Natalie and Oliver for some coffee and a chat while her car is being worked on. Then, I will go to the rehab class and have some more fun with Sherman.