Freedom

Yesterday. Early morning mad rush to get to rehab and other errands before an appointment to have my prednisone caused glaucoma checked. Beautiful weather - sunny and in the low 70's. I wore black Ralph Lauren walking shorts, black and white women's golf shirt and mom's hand-me-down white jacket along with spunky apple green sandals. It felt great to wear shorts in February.

I hopped into my car - the convertible - and hit all the important stops through the morning. After food shopping but before heading back over the pass to get home, I suddenly had a thought. Shall I?

Giggling, it only took moments to put the top down on the convertible. I had never done it alone before. It was such a gorgeous day, not too hot and not too cold. I did it. It was amazing.

The vistas open up when driving in a convertible. The smells and sounds are more pronounced yet the radio volume did not need to be turned up. As I wove my way through the pass, I have never enjoyed the drive more in my life! There is a sense of freedom and a feeling of being almost a bit naughty.

Michael says that everyone who is struggling with a difficult diagnosis should own a convertible. It makes the struggle just a big easier. The hours and miles we spent in a convertible in the early part of my diagnosis helped so much. Somehow it gave me strength to put everything into perspective and arrive back home with a stronger commitment to put one foot in front of the other and to keep moving forward instead of folding into a heap.

If you can't have a convertible, I hope you find what will help give you strength to not give up. Take control. Eat well. Exercise. Smile.