Tuesday 18 June 2013

Holiday

OK, so I actually did it. I managed a holiday without major disasters. Well, the wheelchair broke when we were putting it in the car before leaving and we had a flat tyre five miles away from home, but that's all good fun!
It was when we arrived that I realised why the wheelchair had broken...we were staying five minutes from a mobility specialist who had all the tools and know-how to fix it. We might have struggled where we live and might have decided that the only option was to spend £200 on a new wheelchair; this one might last another year or two, now the wheel has been reattached. 
We were staying near family, so it was great to catch-up and see our nephew and niece and join in day-to-day life with them. As I'm sure you'll appreciate, some family you're happy just seeing for a quick hello at a large gathering, but some need more attention. This holiday offered us that extra attention and I would gladly do it again.
I had thankfully been able to put together some quick meals to freeze and take with us, so for four days our dinner just went in the microwave to be reheated and our lunches consisted of rolls and sandwiches with cold meat, salad and cheese. No complaints and it made life easy. 
On our return I have needed three days of solitude and exhausted healing. I've slept during the day, I've been irritable and crotchety, which my husband would say is an exaggeration, but I've not particularly enjoyed the mood from my end. The most healing part is that I've been able to keep my routine going over the holiday and continued it as we've returned. As I wake each day, I now do mindfulness practice in bed for twenty minutes and sometimes follow this with some yoga stretches, in bed too. I have learned to repeat this, or complete a similar practice in the afternoon when I wake after my rest. I'm sure these have given me that little bit of extra patience and ability to handle those crazy moments that always peek into our holidays away from home.