Swirly-Crazy Days

My mind is swirling. R.J. and I will begin our trip to Prince Edward Island just three weeks from today. In the intervening three weeks, I will finish my school year with 38 precious preschoolers, participate in their graduation ceremony, clean my classroom, donate platelets at least once (probably twice), bake some cookies, go camping with the Arnold clan, and teach two weeks of Imagination Camp (half days with 20 preschoolers, learning about construction one week and space the other week). Oh, and I suppose I’ll do some trip prep as well, making (more) lists, getting an oil change for the car, shopping, and packing. And did I mention the yard work that needs to get done? Or the house cleaning? Or the sewing projects? Or the constant pull of the world around me to get out there and take pictures? Or the desire to have family time? Um, I think I might need a few more days in there. I like being lazy, too. J

In the midst of all the craziness, I was reminded (by Facebook memories) that at this time five years ago, as we were getting ready for our first trip to Prince Edward Island, we were also dealing with R.J.’s new diagnosis with Type 2 diabetes. We had just been to the diabetic educator and had our first (arduous) grocery shopping trip with the new diet in mind. We were uncertain of what lay ahead, but after discussing it with R.J.’s doctor, we were relieved to learn that there would be no barriers in the way of our taking the trip. What a relief it was to make the final decision to GO!

Us, on Covehead beach on Prince Edward Island in June of 2013

Wow, we were smart. That trip was amazing, and having three weeks on the road, away from our routine, was just what we needed. We came back confident that if we could handle diabetes on the road, we could handle it at home.  We also came back road-weary but refreshed in our marriage. It turned out that R.J. was amazing at dealing with his condition, applying every instruction the doctor and diabetic educator gave him. When he returned to the doctor a year later, he was taken off all medication. He has maintained his 60 pound weight loss and disciplined dietary lifestyle well over these past five years. He only took medication that first year, and since then has been controlling his diabetes by diet alone.

R.J. and I at our heaviest and again more recently

Life was a lot different five years ago. My mother-in-law and father-in-law were both still alive; now, they are both gone. We still had three offspring living with us, at least for the summer, along with a summer tenant; now, we live alone. Only one daughter was married; now, both are married, and we have a grandchild on the way. I hadn’t even met my centenarian friend Dr. Woolner or heard his stories about his early days in PEI; now, we will visit his grave, in the same cemetery where we visited Lucy Maud Montgomery’s grave five years ago. We had our precious, old, calico kitty Matilda five years ago; now we have our sweet, young, tortoise-shell kitty Rilla. We had a white mini-van when we last went to PEI; now we have a blue Scion xB. There were many other differences, big and small. Life changes quickly.

My hand, being held tight by Dr. Woolner's hand

Yes. Life changes quickly, which is my plug for making your dreams happen. Before we went to Prince Edward Island the first time, we planned the trip for ten years. We dreamed big and we dreamed often, before we finally made that dream a reality - and here we go again! We have planned a different route there and a different route back, and we will stay on a different part of the Island. Dreams are constantly evolving, and dreaming together with someone you love is an amazing experience. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our 35^th anniversary than fulfilling a dream we have shared for many years. In the craziness of the next three weeks, I need to keep that in mind.

Bring on the checklists! I’m ready!