Quick Impressions

Nearly two weeks of sharing hospital time with Rocky. Hotel and a guest apartment. Cab rides and city walks. Hospital time: beeps, murmurs, steps and wheels in the hallway. Air conditioning background noise. All sounds constant and unfamiliar with our daily routine.


Home. The bed beckons. The apartment is clean as a whistle thanks to the energy and kindness of two neighbors. They scrubbed and neatened the place within a whisker of perfection! What a delight. The baseboards are not dusty, or dirty! The refrigerator is spotless inside and out. The encrusted oven door and window are sparkling. Magic of hours of scrubbing. I’ve often wondered how to get that oven window clean!!


My bathroom. Always clean. Always welcoming. Things in their place. Not temporary, but by my routine. The pills are where they always have been. So too the hair brush. The power toothbrush! How I missed you! The towels. The non-slip surfaces!


The laundry at my fingertips. Two loads immediately loaded. I’ll sort it out tomorrow.

Dog Willow excited, attentive but still wondering where Rocky is. Why is he not here?


TV controls I understand. Program selections that interest me. The familiar. The known.


A quick dinner out. No lunch. A distant breakfast. Now a familiar restaurant with a familiar favorite dinner item. Driving the car there and back. Familiar controls and feel. Imagine having control over where the vehicle goes? Such power. Such convenience. No waiting for cab, limo or Uber. Or walking. Just get in and go. Wow!


Then home. My chair. The known settings and comfort.


The quiet. No hospital beeps or buzzes. No swishing of foot steps or nurses/doctors/techs clothing, rushing in, out and by. Quiet. No humming. No droning. Just quiet.


The bed. The great matress. The oxygen machine. The CPAP. Easy breathing. Good breathing. The pillow.


In bed at 8:15 pm. Awake at 6. 10 hours of solid rest. No bathroom breaks. Nothing but sleep and matress support.


Wow! Just Wow!


So good to be home. Tomorrow is another day. Laundry. Sorting clothes. Checking out bills and checking balance. Then gathering wanted items for Rocky. A visit to Marianjoy. A busy day. I can already imagine my nap just a few miles away in my chair, with my dog, in my own place.


And the quiet.


July 23, 2019


PS: This was written on Friday following my coming home. Rocky is in Marianjoy. We've had adventures since then, including living on the fourth floor with the elevator not working. More habits changed temporarily. But all is good.