Emily is getting her first break from cancer duty in more than two months this weekend. She is going canoe camping in the Adirondacks with a friend, as they do annually and had planned for this time months in advance. The timing is good.
I'm getting a little nostalgic watching her pack, intending to take at least twice as much stuff as she'll ever need and taking almost as long to decide and arrange what to bring with her as she will actually be in the woods. Guess the packing is part of the fun. Some things never change, and some things I will never understand.
I have always been a guy who liked walking in the woods, but also thought a hot shower and soft bed were part of my birthright, so I've never been tempted to go on these trips. I'm in the middle of Bill Bryson's book about walking the Appalachian Trail, "A Walk in the Woods,'' and his experiences reinforced that notion.
Janice is also away, tending to her own responsibilities and the rest of her life in Ithaca after spending most of the time here since I was diagnosed in June. Ellen is the one who gets to put up with me, (with Allyson's help, of course) here for the weekend, coming in from the Boston area. Escorting me to an oncology appointment and chemo tomorrow is sure to be a highlight.
It's not easy for a cancer patient, at least this cancer patient, to be as appreciative enough of those who take care of me and to consider their needs since I'm overwhelmed with my own situation. I'm beyond fortunate to have this quartet to help me maneuver through this situation I'm in.
And I'm also lucky that Emily, especially, on whom the biggest burden has fallen, knows when she needs a break. We still have a long way to go.
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I was thinking about you today, Jay. Don't know why, but somehow I was wondering how you were doing. Perhaps it was the Pedro G. Espada bruhaha, the other shenanagans at the Capitol, the lack of rain, the fact that my niece said "watah" like someone from New Hampshire...Don't know why. My friend John Sullivan was almost selected to run for Congress for John McHugh's seat, but the DCCC picked someone else It would have been fun for me to have been able to say "I knew him when."
ReplyDeleteIf you're ever up for visitors, I'd love to be granted an audience...
My radio show is shortened to accommodate Tanglewood broadcasts, but I'll be back on full time right after Labor Day. Stay tuned...
All I can say is GO SOX!!!