It is what it is!

Daniel and I are on a flight from Raleigh to Chicago.  Im enjoying the convenience of my new iPad2.  It is proving itself to be all I hoped it might be.  SO much easier than hassling with a laptop here, but I did bring my laptop. I am not quite ready to take the plunge to no lapto  when i'm gone for a week! 

This is my second plane trip in three weeks. Navigating my way through the airport and security was strangely pleasing to me, sort of like old times.  It brought back so many memories of trips past. As I sit here waiting for take off (and to be reminded to put away my electronic devices,  I’m remembering trips to London, to Frankfurt, to Tokyo, and also to Minneapolis, Boston, and Buffalo.  Ah, the memories of trips past when I was in a pin striped suit toting my laptop bag, and too much other luggage.  I remember fondly those days of adventure and independence.  Now I’m not SO independent, but with the help of so many people, I do quite well.

[The gentleman behind me just bought me a glass of wine just as I was about to write about the helpful people who are so kind to those of us in wheelchairs!]

I cleared security and made my way to the gate by myself, with those helpful people.  I have to say that this independence is made possible by my wheelchair.  It gives me quite a bit of mobility even when I’m on my own.  People are always asking me if they can push me.  I accept when I have to go UP a ramp.  But I like “pedaling” myself.  It is fun, I go fast, and I feel the burn in my thighs!

I am getting stronger. When I’m home, I use the WaterRower every day;  I could do that even when I had the cast.  The wheelchair works against my developing the leg muscles I want/need.  It is just too easy for me to decide I’m tired and take to moving in the house in the chair.  It takes all the will power I can muster to stay out of it until late in the day.  On long walks, like through airports, I get great exercise in the chair, but at home, I move slowly and don’t really get exercise in the chair like I would if I walked from room to room.

It is great to be out of the cast on my right arm, after 13 weeks.  But my hand sits about  1/2” to the right of where it did sit on my wrist. I'm wearing an Ace bandage now for strength; it usually hurts, but the bandage helps some.  I know now it will never be strong like it was.  But it is almost a constant reminder to go slow and be careful.  I imagine falling on it often; that slows me down.  I made the right decision not to have wrist surgery.  I had no guarantee it would be any better, and I was promised it would be most painful and long to heal. It is what it is.

My left eye is doing OK.  Boston doc Colby has cleared me from needing to be in Boston until July.   I have no pain.  I'm wearing a disposable lens i change each morning, so i always have a clean lens.  But it is the flimsiest little thing.  It is very hard to handle. My vision goes in and out;  some times it is up to 20/40, but that isn’t often.  I’ve learned this in and out vision is typical for this artificial corneas.  I have much better vision than i used to, and good depth perception.  I am eager to try a 3-DMovie now.  It is what it is.

We will have a fine time in Chicago, in addition to Mom's 90th birthday, we'll have two seders, one led by our nephew Adam who is studying to be a rabbi.  

We fly back into Raleigh and see my son Ron and his soon to be wife who will be house hunting there.  Oh joy;  i never dreamed he would be married and living on the east coast. Yet, it is what it is.

Written 2 days after arrival.  We we hungry when we got to Chicago.  Because we flew into Midway Airport, we were new Chicago’s little Italy.  Best Italian food west of Boston!  We had a fantastic dinner.  I managed to stay awake, even after getting only 4 hours sleep the night before and doing all the driving from home to Raleigh.  When we got to our hotel in Glenview about 10, I simply crashed for 32 HOURS!!  On Saturday, we dragged ourselves out of bed and made it to see Mom at last.

Love to you all.

Bonnie for BanD