Thursday, April 4, 2013

ReEntry April 3, 2013

Just twenty-four hours ago I completed my "one more walk" around the Central Park reservoir. Dressed in my travel khakis I threw on my down jacket to stop at the bank for cash when I decided to walk. My hands and ears were freezing as I had not brought gloves, but the sun was shining, the wind brisk and the folks walking and running were enthusiastic. Today I walked in the sixty-degree early morning sunshine in Mesa, Arizona, wearing my black calf-length workout pants and a short-sleeved shirt. The people I encountered wore shorts and tank-tops. Amazing.

Re-entry is wonderful and difficult at the same time. There is so much mail to sort and so many weeds have grown in the yard. My family was delighted to see me; we ate dinner together as I shared my stories.

After the usual unpacking it was time to visit my husband at the memory care facility. When I entered one of the careworkers embraced me, "We missed you," she said, and then, pointing to Bob who was seated on a chair outside his room, she added,"I think he did, too."

I walked up to him, bent down and asked, "Are you sleeping?"
He opened his eyes and said, "No."

He looked a bit disorganized as if I really had awakened him from a deep sleep. He asked a worker at the kitchen counter for a glass of milk, held my hand, knew exactly who I was, but had no idea I had been away. He is content and well cared for. I am relieved.

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