Adventure Day One

June 2, 2008 –When you are stuck in a hospital room with time on your hands it requires a bit of creativity to set up an outing when you can’t go outside.  For Rickey, I knew the backyard of our house in Bowie was a haven away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and he was not able to enjoy it.  We had a beautiful pond with slate walk ways and sitting areas under the trees.  Each area had a theme, a name and a memory attached to it.  He would pass time watching the small creatures enjoy the natural setting we cultivated for them in our little piece of heaven.  We had no idea how long Rickey would be in the hospital, but I knew he would not see the fall colors at home.  In fact, this could be the last fall Rickey would have, and I did not want him to miss out.  So I brought the outside in and we shared stories and memories of our backyard.

 

Rickey writes:  October 19, 2002 7:37 AM

ADVENTURE - DAY 6

Friday came and went.  I received 3 surprise visitors from work, quite a nice surprise.  My mother-in-law, Pat, spent the day with me.  I enjoyed the opportunity for one-on-one company with her, although I slept quite a bit.  Still running a fever, they keep a close eye on it and are giving me anti-bodies. I received cards from my sisters Carlene and Judy.  It was great to hear from them.  Today, Patrice has a surprise outing planned (outing is more mental than physical).  She’s working very hard to keep me positive.  Together we’ll get through this. Love to everyone, Rick

 

October 20, 2002 10:21 AM

ADVENTURE - DAY 7

My daughter Laura and granddaughter Amanda came by last night for a visit.  It was very uplifting to see them.  They will be back today.  I ran a fever of 103 degrees last night.  They have me on anti-biotics and are doing lab cultures, but none of this is unexpected.  My sister Carlene called.  It was great talking to her.  She is such a sweet person.  Today is “football” Sunday.  Yesterday’s surprise outing was that Patrice brought in five 8×10 pictures of our backyard. Since I won’t be home for a while, it was nice to see the fall colors.   We walked the ward floor with each one and discussed it “remembering when…” now all five are up on the wall in our hospital room -  Other than that, same old same old.  Love to all, Rick

 

Do you have to leave a building to go out?  Where could your mind take you if you used your imagination?  Sometimes being creative and planning a surprise outing for someone who is stuck inside is the best medicine in the world.

 

Until our next blog – remember life is an adventure, embrace the journey.  You can make a difference one day at a time. 

 

Share your adventure with us!

Filed under: General by admin