Chapter 26: Vacation Time!
March 26, 2024
Our family members are big fans of the all-inclusive vacation concept…except for the fact that it seems to accelerate time. How is it that seven days on the beach moves at warp speed while 7 days in -30 weather goes so slowly, you actually feel like you’re moving backwards? Sigh.
It’s hard to believe we are already leaving to go back home today. But I’m grateful for a good week – and I’m so glad mom and dad were able to join us. It’s the second time we’ve been able to do this with them – the first was several years ago, BCE. You know, “before COVID era,” ha. Anyway, it’s been nice that the kids are old and big enough to be helpful with Nana and Papa rather than just needing constant supervision from some on-call adult…
Thank goodness mom and dad actually made it! Their passports were up for renewal in January and dad’s got processed right away, but it turns out mom’s application somehow got lost. Three days before departure, she still didn’t have it, and I was positively freaking out. Fortunately, the Edmonton office was really good about admitting their error and issued a new one…which dad received in hand about 24 hours before the plane took off!
Issuing drama aside, I couldn’t help but feeling sad. Canadian adult passports now have a 10-year lifespan and all I could think was…are these the last passports my parents might be issued? Morbid thought, I know – but I guess these are the thoughts that randomly pop into your head, without warning or explanation, as we all start to reach “a certain age.”
Mom has seemed ok for most of this week, but it sure seems like she’s walking more slowly than usual. I remember going for evening walks with her in the summer when I was in university, and I sometimes had a hard time keeping up to her pace – which is extra funny given that I am several inches taller with much longer legs. But lately, when we walk – she’s the one asking me to slow down. I hate that. It’s just one more concrete reminder that she’s getting older. I don’t want her to get old. She’s mom. She’s supposed to…be here forever…right?
Her memory seemed ok this past week but I think dad, my husband, and I were all pretty conscious of not leaving her by herself anymore. Now in fairness, these resorts are massive and sometimes even I get lost. But it just seemed like an extra precaution we all agreed to take, even though we didn’t explicitly say so out loud.
Mom definitely seemed a bit quieter than usual though. I’d often specifically ask her questions during meal times to get her to talk more, and she often doesn’t answer with more than a word or two. I’ve noticed this at Sunday dinners lately as well. She is quite adamant that she is not going to take up space when she has nothing to say. That’s definitely new – I mean, mom is not particularly assertive but she’s never backed away from sharing her opinion in a discussion! It’s a little weird how she doesn’t really seem to have much interest in conversations recently…even with the kids. She just doesn’t seem like herself. Her one-year follow-up appointment is in a few weeks. I guess we’ll chat with the doctor then and figure this out.
Questions or comments? Contact me!