When Do We Rest?

Unlike at home in Canada, my daily schedule in Florida is quite hectic. Mary has been used to a quieter, better organized life and likes to sleep in a bit in the morning. Unfortunately, her bed is the futon in the Florida room which happens to be the point of entry into the trailer.

People come and go here a lot so Mary has had to awaken earlier than normal for her but she never complains, just giggles at the lack of rest and relaxation she's getting on her holidays.

Occasionally she'll ask when we're going to have a "do nothing" day and we do try but something always comes up. Today we had full day plans and tomorrow is also going to be busy. Sunday will also be a busy day because we're going to the flea market to watch an Elvis impersonator. We're going out to Pat and Ken's on Monday at noon to have an early dinner and Mary foolishly started to plan for a lazy Monday morning.

"Oh, no", I said. "That's my group coffee morning.

Mary, who leaves here on Tuesday, moaned a little louder than usual but I think she's been resigned to very little rest until she gets back to Canada.

I feel the same way. Back home in Canada I can have all the rest and relaxation I want but here in Florida is where I play. There won't be any nightly Bingo, card, or board games from mid April to late October so why be a couch potato now? There won't be daily runs with friends to lunch and shopping all summer long. For six and a half months, I'll be mainly by myself and very happy about it but now is not the time or the place. I love this life...but 5 1/2 months of it is about all I can take.

Tonight, Mary and I went up to a restaurant in Kissimmee and had dinner with my son-in-law and granddaughter. They're just passing through the area on a university jaunt...Lisette is auditioning for the drama program before choosing the university she'll attend in the fall. They came all the way from Bolivia (where John is stationed) to do this and how wonderful that we ended up close enough to meet for dinner. Life is full of these coincidences and opportunities. We just have to grab them when we have the chance. We can always rest later.

Right now Mary is sitting quietly on the sofa reading a book and I'm going to get off the computer and watch a bit of T.V. before going to bed. Our day was busy but ever so fruitful. For part of it I got to cuddle with my beloved granddaughter who happens to live thousands of miles away in a strange country. Our paths crossed tonight and we built a few more memories.

I'll sleep well tonight.