Reality check

 

We just returned from a trip to Portland to see the West Coast Grands. We stayed in a very tiny "micro apartment", just  steps from our son's house, so it was very convenient, despite being so small. The first couple of days were exceptionally warm for Portland, where many people do not have air conditioning. Then it cooled down to normal summer temperatures. It was a good trip!  We spent a lot of time with the family, especially the younger granddaughters. We ate too much and visited some new places. Rick and I drove to the coast one day, where it was blowing a gale, with slanting, sideways rain. Just normal summer variations in the Pacific Northwest! There were people out on the beach, and even in the water, determined to have a good time, in spite of the weather!  

The reality check came the day after we got back, when I had a previously scheduled doctor visit and set the date for a hip replacement in October. If I had needed proof that I need this operation, the trip to Oregon provided it. Case in point, our son took us to visit a cave which was listed as easy walking and a flat path. It was not steep but the path was far from flat and I couldn't handle climbing over the rocks. I hated being the reason we had to turn around.   

Now, I don't visit caves or walk on the beach in a gale every day, so I might just soldier on, accommodating my decreasing mobility. But there's the small matter of our next great adventure, planned for spring 2027! In the fall of 2024, Rick and I went to New Zealand on a "bucket list trip of a lifetime". When it was over, we soon realized that there was much more we wanted to see. So, to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, we are going back to New Zealand and on to Australia. By scheduling the operation in October, I should be well recovered by late April when we leave. I don't take a hip replacement lightly but I have confidence in my doctor and it's the price I am willing to pay for being able to make the trip.  The trip is booked and it will be an active one! 

I have not been able to serve many photography clients this year. Once I am fully bionic (this is my fourth joint replacement) I plan to get back to business.  I am so fortunate to live at a time when hips and knees can be repaired. Life is for living and I'm not done yet!!