Playing House

Sometimes I find myself in the middle of such a normal day - like two people with normal and common concerns rather than unfair medical ones - and for a few moments, I forget about the realities of our existence.
Today we spent almost the entire day outside in the yard. Feeling the sun and the breeze, me with a good book in my hand, keeping careful watch of the dogs and my husband, who is atop a shed, installing shingles.
Phones left inside, no technology, no plans, no schedules, no appointments. No reminders of medication or of important phone calls to make or paperwork to complete.
Just a beautiful summer day with our little family in our little corner of the world.

Unfortunate that it feels foreign to me now.
I used to have many days like this, but now the seriousness of some of my illnesses have created this consistent sense of foreboding that we just cannot ignore.

Days like today are the reason I love camping so much. Not camping in a trailer or even a paid campground. I mean where technology cannot reach and where there are no paved roads, no trails through the brush, no firepits or campsites, no outhouses or plugins. Where we make our own 'spot' to go to the washroom, where we gather rocks from a nearby river and create a firepit for ourselves. We plunk our tent down onto a spot that is relatively flat, not too near a tree, facing the vehicle in case we have to make a run for it because of a cougar or a bear traversing our little piece of paradise. One tent for us, one for the dogs, and daily walks down to the water to let them swim or wash our used dishes.
Our concerns become of nature and of our own little corner, and we forget about all of the other concerns. Sometimes I even do my injections while we camp. Things that we can't just leave behind. Medications. Needles. Epipens. But at least it isn't all glaring at me in the face like a shadow.
Apart from the pain itself, I can pretend like I am like any other healthy human being, out for a camping trip.

Today felt like that and I am grateful for it.
Playing House is as good as a holiday to someone with chronic disease.