And the travels continued …
The weekend was family time, but I think Roger was surprised that I wasn't going to be running around doing something else. Nope, this was the time to reconnect to his family on Mother's Day weekend. I had learned my lesson and refused to miss a minute of it.
However, the observer within me did not take a break. My brothers- and sisters-in-law had all grown up, yet they hadn't, in a good way. They were adults, yet still brothers and sisters forever. They each had their own lives, yet they connected as if not a moment had passed.
And never again would I stay away very long …
Monday morning after my Mac laptop computer completely crashed, I flustered my way through my backup PC, which drives me crazy! I dropped Roger off at his dad's and drove around the region to keep spreading the word about the Alzheimer's book and to seek new sources for my other volumes on brain injuries, strokes, and brain tumors-brain cancer.
I made some connections, but more importantly, my mind explored new roads with the rest of the body … since it was along for the ride anyway. I stopped a couple of times to jot some notes and felt good about new possibilities that suddenly made sense after a week and a half on the road. New scenery, new sensations, new sources of input had made this journey worthwhile.
And I didn't even blow a fuse or freak out (remember, I'm a child of the 70's) when I discovered on Monday that a promotional event I thought was scheduled for Tuesday was not going to happen after all.
When I picked him up, I told Roger I was ready to go home though there were some stops we'd make on the way back.
We began the trek home Tuesday after staying Monday night at the home of one of Roger's sisters and her husband and two kids. After some stops on Tuesday and Wednesday to introduce myself and the Alzheimer's book and to get myself a new baby Mac, I marveled at how Roger and I had survived this long journey without wanting to strangle each other.
This was the longest we had been cooped up together in who-knows-how many years, and we only got testy a few times when I knew I was right and when he (said he) knew he was right. But we laughed our way through it all.
Our van, though somewhat disorganized by the end of the trip, was not filled with frustration or exhaustion with each other. In fact, I think we learned to appreciate each other a lot more and gloss over some of those personality quirks that are part of any marriage or partnership. After all, we're looking forward to our 30th wedding anniversary in July and the 35th year since we started dating in August.
Don't tell him, but I actually like him even more after this trip, and after this many years, you don't find many blessings bigger than that. Oh, and I love him a lot more, too.
Maybe it's because we spent half the time saying "What? Can't hear you. Road noise too loud …" and then laughed some more.
This was more than a book tour. It was a life tour.
The scenery was exquisite, the companionship was priceless, the reconnections were life-affirming, the introductions opened many new doors of possibilities.
When we stepped in the door at 3 a.m. Thursday after driving for hours in the rain, we expected a welcoming party from the cats. They just stared at us and announced that we had interrupted their sleep.
Home sweet home. Thank God some things will never change … except the litter.
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