No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on January 12, 2013

And that is the first step, as it were, to being able to walk on his own. I am so proud of him. He is working hard and pushing himself as far as they will let him. He wants to walk onto a plane and fly home. Again these all seem like baby steps but each just puts him closer to bring pre-stroke Peter (PSP).

On weekends there are things to do at the rehab center but it is a lot less structured. He doesn’t have scheduled therapy but he has been given a list of things he can do. I know he is going to spend some time with his daughters since middle child Gwen is down there visiting Shana. We got him his copy of Dragon Dictate, which he is working on learning to use this weekend so he can swing back into the writing groove. Doing what can be done to bring him closer to feeling normal again.

Yesterday Caroline went back to school. She is very glad that she did. She does have a bit of homework to do but that feels normal. Next week she will resume her busy life with Flute lessons, Kung Fu (which she is really looking forward to), and Girl Scouts. Yes, she will have to go to my bowling league on Monday but she likes the ladies there and it doesn’t go past her bedtime. We are also sorting out the YMCA family swim schedule and trips to the library at least once a week. I want to keep her active but not overwhelmed.

Speaking of overwhelmed, I have to admit being in the house by myself, with the cats milling around, it did hit me pretty hard about all that has happened. But I reminded myself of all the friends, family, and fans that have my back in all this. That Peter is alive which is such a blessing. That his ability to write on the cognitive side of the scale is just fine and ready to work. That he can do so many things that he couldn’t do a week ago. Yesterday was two weeks from the time he had the stroke. Since then we have gone from some dark dire times to some cautiously optimistic times. We will get through this together. I took a couple of deep cleansing breaths and did a Tai Chi form that focuses on breathing (Thank you Sifu).

After that I started to make a list of all the things I need to do both short term and long term. I am going to get back in the habit of carrying around a small notebook and pen to jot down things as they come to mind and later go back and organize them. As my mom put it, I am going into serious stage manager mode. (For the new readers, I am an Equity Stage Manager and a graduate of the Yale School of Drama among my many other achievements). Yesterday was stuff around the town day that needed to get done. Today is “find the living room again after being away for three weeks” day.

It was like the house was on pause while we were away. When I came back in, things were pretty much where we had left them. My cat sitter was kind enough to clear out the fridge of some nasty stuff so I didn’t have to deal with it. The cats, after proving that they missed us, are pretty much back to their routine. I have mail to sort and things to recycle.

I am picking up the pieces and figuring where they go in the puzzle that is now our lives.

Again for the new readers, I have a blogging habit that I have been doing for almost 10 years now. And it is that the last line of the entry is always something I am grateful for. It can be a small thing or a big thing but it causes me to reflect on things and come up with at least one good thing in my life no matter what is going on in it. Some days have been harder than others to find something but I always do.

I am grateful that my husband is still here with us.

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