activities of daily living / child of the north wind

While a snow storm may temporarily inconvenience “the things we normally do in daily living” imagine your personal activities of daily living (ADL) slipping out of your control permanently.

Multiple Sclerosis is a relentless and random thief of one’s abilities to perform ADLs. There is no thawing change in seasons.

Maybe it is because winter and snow have always been energy sources for both Patti and I that the unfairness of MS seems more outrageous.

Patti was an avid skier and with her long term memory more vivid these days than her short term memory well snow storms trigger recollections of slopes of powder. All the more I wanted to rail at the heavens when I went to pick her up for our pre-blizzard outing and watched her needing the assistance of three aides plus a Hoyer lift and sling to get out of bed, changed, and dressed.

Instead I found strength from her good spirit and laughter through it all. No lift tickets these days but instead a wheel chair accessible smoking lounge on wheels.

Heading back home it was time for me to take on Winter. Since Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog's Day, 40” (1.02 m) of snow has fallen on our little piece of the Earth.

Piles of shoveled snow plus drifts are getting rather epic. Media talking heads claim we have more snow than the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Conditions were so bad on Wednesday birds took shelter in our lilac bush shielded from blizzard winds.

While I battled to keep the driveway clear, township snow plows arrived as the storm was kissing us good bye. Trying to maintain our tradition of picking Patti up for a post storm outing I was foiled as Pennsylvania closed three major Interstates, which in turn transformed secondary roads into parking lots.

Alas! At least as a fellow child of the north wind, Patti knows that sometimes the mountain wins.

Caregivingly Yours, Patrick Leer
web site: http://caregivinglyyours.com/
videos: http://www.youtube.com/daddyleer