They made it to Florida in three days. When I spoke to them during their migration they were amidst a friendly conversation with some folks at a restaurant. How surprising, my parents are making friends with strangers. To this day my mom swears she’s shy, but all evidence points to the contrary. Anyhow, it was an uneventful trip and they made it to their new abode safe and sound.
We then showed up on Christmas eve. The Christmas palm tree donned it’s usual ornaments, the A/C was set at 72 degrees and the pool awaited us. Between floating and being schooled by mom at Trivial Pursuit we aggressively unpacked. Turns out trying to combine two condominiums full of stuff is no easy task and if you can’t find something then it’s in the garage. It also seems that although mom may not be able to physically help, she can certainly direct. We tried to get as much done as we could while we were there to take some of the pressure off of Dee and my dad. DM brought his usual tech savvy and got the internet and cable up and running while I attacked the kitchen. I had no idea that one person could have so many colanders….or Cuisinarts…or adorable desert plates. That’s a lie, I’ve known my mom for 34 years. But let’s just say that Habitat for Humanity is incredibly appreciative for The Leimers coming to town.
How is she doing though?
In my completely subjective opinion, she seems to be doing really well. Her left leg continues to get stronger and she got some magic glasses that help her recognize the left. I don’t know the science behind them, but the way she explains it to me is that they seem to direct her eyes left. This means that she can read again, however now she has to practice focus. Nothing is every easy, folks. She and my dad are also checking out a rehab facility today, but the doctor will have to order more rehab before they can take advantage of that. Thankfully they also have a caregiver coming every weekday now, which is a HUGE help and mom says that she likes this woman. I think her words were “well, it wasn’t hate at first sight” - a two thumbs up review!
And that’s the current situation. They’re still adjusting to the new home and new life, but let’s be honest, sunshine and above freezing temperatures is quite the improvement. And yes, of course I still worry. I know they do too, but they like to tell me otherwise because I’m their kid and they’d like to believe that I believe them. Trust me, I would love to still have the luxury of being the kid who believes. Another level of adulthood - learning to recognize your parents are just people and worry just creates more worry, so you have to grow the hell up and trust to them to tell you when they’re not OK. So, new mantra, “I will not helicopter parent my own parents”, but I will totally bug the shit out of them like any good kid.
PS - Dad changed his phone number and then didn’t bother to tell people because he seems to forget that people actually DO care about him and want to be able to hear his voice. If you need it, let me know.
