A Visit with my Parents: Week ending December 11

Week ending December 11

Monday: You know, I almost never run on Mondays.

Tuesday: A late afternoon meeting gave me a good out on a chilly and rainy day.

Wednesday: Picked my parents up at the airport in Charlotte. All of us were frazzled by the crowds. Had a good dinner with great people--EO, Betty and Christy.  

Thursday: Off to Greenville early to see Lydia perform with her Vocal Diction class. We picked up Mary Fulp on the way, and got to the school with plenty of time to spare, as it turned out, an extra half hour, in fact. We dined in the hallway, a gourmet meal from the Zaxby’s down the street. Lydia was, as always, very impressive.

Friday: 7 miles  Snuck off with Bristol to Croft.

Saturday: Rode in the Pacolet Christmas Parade in honor of The Reverend Scott Spencer, an avid cyclist who was killed while riding this past September. A great turnout on a beautiful morning made the event especially moving. We all met up at noon--EO, Betty, Mary Fulp, Christy and I--for lunch at the hotel. That afternoon we went to see Quinn in The Nutcracker. Quinn loves performing, and he looks so natural on stage.  After the cast party, we drove to Greenville to have dinner with Lydia. We had a long and wonderful day. I am a lucky man in many, many ways.

Sunday: 6 miles  Decided to sleep in, and ran easy on Cottonwood Trail. 14 x 120 yard striders on the football field felt smooth and easy. Feeling like a 40 minute warm-up is a) I guess what it takes, and b) another reason to see the chiropractor.

Total: 13 miles  

Having my parents here was a real treat. They arrived Wednesday, and left Sunday, a longer stay than usual I think attributable to their intention to slow down travel in general. Seeing Lydia’s recital on Thursday and then Quinn’s Nutcracker on Saturday gave us more time to just talk, and I don’t think they’ve had a double-header like this before. 

I always appreciate seeing EO in action, too. I don’t know why exactly, but I am always soothed somehow, fears allayed, by seeing him. He gets around confidently, I would say, though he gets tired through the day. He loves being around people, and gets a lot of energy from it, chatting folks up and meeting everyone. He often wears a name tag. 

But he uses a walker, and shuffles, and stops to talk. He loses track of his thoughts sometimes, sometimes my mother reminds him. They are adjusting to a new part of their 56-year relationship. 

My mother says she has become a better driver since EO stopped driving. She also helps EO remember when to take his medication, and how much. She misses the man she married, he misses being him. They don’t walk like they used to, in part because EO’s walker keeps them from holding hands, which they do whenever they get a chance.