I am fairly used to four-day trips. Most of my trips for graduations, funerals, etc. have been that length. It started out being that way because Lion missed me so much, I tried to be away as little as possible. Since his eyesight has gotten bad, it’s more about not wanting to leave him alone for very long. It’s always rough to do two six-hour flights in a short amount of time. This time, we went to visit his daughter and her family. I knew it was going to be very difficult. It was.
Lion kept reminding me he’s been traveling for over thirty years, and he knows how things work. Except, he hasn’t been traveling in a while and never since he lost so much eyesight. I suggested a wheelchair because I know what a long walk it is from the car to security and from security to the shuttle and then to the gate. He felt it was good to walk. It is. But he hasn’t been walking a lot and there are a lot of obstacles. He also didn’t want a stranger to push him around. So, we walked.
It was long. It was tedious. We had plenty of time so that wasn’t an issue. Most of it was Lion asking if I was sure I knew where I was going and my trying to hang onto everything I was carrying while making sure he wasn’t going to fall as we were walking. It turned out, the six-hour flight was the easiest part. Once he was settled into the seat, it was just a matter of making sure he heard what the flight attendant was asking. He had his noise cancelling headphones on and was watching a movie. Since he can’t really see them approaching, sometimes he didn’t know they were there at all.
It was nice to see his daughter. We mostly sat in her house and visited, which was the whole purpose of the trip. We went out to lunch at a “real” deli. It was better than here, but not “real” by New York standards. Her kids are wild. Well, the youngest is three so we heard a lot of “he’s a wild three-year-old so there’s not much we can do.” B.S. I would have had my ass handed to me if I pulled any of the crap he did. Lion thinks it’s difficult to control a three-year-old. I’m sure he didn’t act that wild. I know I didn’t. Sure, I had my crazy times and tantrums. But I’m equally sure they were not the norm. My kids never acted that way. Again, tantrums from time to time, but not constantly.
Anyway, we survived the trip. The next trip is in February when my son is done with his physician assistant training. He’s in Hawaii. How can you not go to Hawaii? It’s a very nice excuse to have to visit paradise. The sacrifices you make for your kids.
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