The day I got home from the hospital last year, my good friends Lori and Dave came over and planted a bunch of spring plants in my front yard and put some potted and hanging plants on my porch. Dave's family owns a commercial greenhouse, Cuthbert Greenhouse that supplies annuals to local grocery and discount stores. This is his BUSIEST time of the year yet he and Lori took time to spend hours traveling to my house and putting in plants to brighten up my return home. It was beautiful and I sat there in my wheelchair watching them do this overwhelmed by their love (and feeling a bit surreal that I actually had to sit in a wheelchair.)
Fast forward one year later. I spent Saturday looking for spring plants to put in my front yard, photographing my daughter and her friends before their prom, and doing a bit of shopping. Here's a picture of Claire and her date before prom.
On Sunday, Mother's Day, my husband was on the return leg of a 2-day, 200-mile bike ride, the Tour of Scioto River Valley or TOSRV as its known. He asked me to ride with him for the last 50 miles and I was excited to do it. In the past, there were times when he wanted me to ride with him and it felt a bit like a chore. Cycling is his passion, not mine. My passion is doubles beach volleyball but my doubles beach volleyball playing time has reduced proportionally with the reduction in the number of beaches between Ft. Lauderdale and Ohio.
But, like so many things now, I'm just thankful that I have the opportunity to go for a ride. So, I got up Sunday morning and drove the 50 miles to the town of Chillicothe and met Al at the park that hosts the TOSRV stop. We met up and were on the road at a little before 11. We had a great ride back and made pretty good time. The 10 mph tailwind didn't hurt but I rode really strong and pulled my husband along the last 6 miles or so. Of course, it was mile 194 for him and mile 44 for me but I still felt good about it. The stats on the ride were--51.4 miles, avg speed 16 mph, max speed 28.2, time 3:11'18. Even though it involved 200 miles of travel between Columbus and Chillicothe (50 to drive down, 50 to ride back, 50 to drive down to get my car, 50 to drive back home), it was a great way to spend Mother's Day one year after my hospital discharge.
And it was quite fitting to spend the day with Al. He's been the foundation that has supported me throughout this entire illness and recovery. I talked a little about that here--World's Luckiest Guy-- early on into the journey--less than one week after I was diagnosed. His persistence (also known as nagging) is one reason I've been able to recover so quickly. "OK, Kat, get off the couch and do your physical therapy (simple things like walking toe to heel or walking sideways.) I'll put the gait belt on you and catch you if, or rather when, you fall." "OK, Kat, you've been able to walk 3 houses down the street, tonight you're going to walk 5." And on and on and on. He said that his fear that I'd never get back to my former physical condition was what drove him to push me and he's gotten me most of the way there.
Being able to spend the day with him, doing something physically challenging that he loves was a way I could honor his love and support over the last year. So, on the first anniversary of my hospital discharge, here is a dramatic interpretation of me and Al during my hospitalization and recovery. Playing the part of me is Dory and playing the part of Al is Marlin. Kat/Dory and Al/Marlin
Maybe he's not the only lucky one.
Finding Nemo: Jellyfish Sequence from Twenty One Inc on Vimeo.
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