Week in Review – The One Where I Got Sick

Tawas Point at the top of Saginaw Bay.

Well, last week’s review was written and posted, according to my phone, but for some reason didn’t make it out to the web. Sometimes I love technology, and sometimes I am frustrated with it. Last week I asked for a mulligan. There were so many things that went wrong, and by Friday, I was refusing to get sick. Well, by Sunday, I couldn’t deny it, I was sick.

Frozen branches in Indiana

When I last wrote, we were on the way to Michigan with an oversized load. Bonnie and I were able to get quite a bit done. From Michigan, we headed to Louisville to load. Along the way, we stopped in Indiana. When I left Indiana Tuesday morning, it was -17° outside. When we loaded in Louisville, it was 38°. That was already 55° temperature change. We went from Louisville to Anaheim, CA, then up to Victorville to load a local. When we loaded in Victorville, it was 88°. In less than three days, our bodies had endured a 105° temperature change. I don’t think my body was really ready for that. We went from Victorville, back into the basin, loaded in Sun Valley and then headed to Memphis. Monday, we delivered in Memphis, headed up to Cincinnati to load, and then delivered in Houston on Wednesday. We informed them when we got here we would need to shut down until I got better. I had already struggled to do anything; there was no way I thought I could endure any more. Yesterday, I finally gave in and went to go get medication. Sometimes all of the home remedies in the world don’t work. Today, as we sit in Houston, I am beginning to feel better. Medicine is kicking in, and I actually feel a bit better. It had been a struggle all week to eat anything, and today I can eat without feeling horrible. Sadly, yesterday my sickness finally started affecting my family. They got medication as well, so I am hoping it won’t take them a week to get back on their feet.

Over the last two weeks, Bonnie and I accomplished quite a bit, and she has finished four more books. Her appetite for books amazes me more and more every day. We have taken a little time off this week because I didn’t feel like doing anything, but before that, we covered the American Revolution and the Constitution. Our interest in our government has clearly been passed on to my daughter, and I am thankful for that. Science and Math are progressing. We have decided to take a little break from Spanish for now. I am hoping to pick it back up maybe in the summer.

Last time I posted, I shared we had gotten some bad news about my grandmother. Well, we have now been given a final word of sorts. Her cancer has spread to not only her liver, but also her lungs. There is nothing that can be done. We have two to four months left with her. It saddens me, and yet I know I need to remember there is no pain in heaven. We have been blessed by her presence. Now it is time for us to really come to grips with the reality. This life is not guaranteed. We never know how much time we have with anyone. Enjoy the time we have when we have it.

NM sunrise through a dirty windshield.

In the post that never posted, I shared how I wanted a mulligan. Sadly, we don’t get a mulligan. We can’t go back and change things. However, we can do things differently tomorrow. The things I typically want to change are my reactions to things that have happened. I can never do that. All I can do is try to change how I react to things in the future. Sometimes I feel like I need a large sign that says, “Work in Progress.” We are all works in progress. So many things we would love to do differently; however, all we can do is change how we do things from this point. We are all on a journey. I can only hope along my journey I will be loved, and remembered as someone who worked every day to make tomorrow better than yesterday.