There’s More to Life

This is day seven of the Health Activist Writers Month Challenge and Today’s Prompt is: Health Activist Choice.

When living with chronic health issues that require constant attention, it is easy to become so consumed by those thoughts that we lose sight of the fact that there’s more to life that just those health issues.  Sure, they are always with us, but they should not be the center of attention all the time.

I much prefer to devote my time and attention to the people and things in my life that are the most important to me.  Like April and the time we get to spend together.

For the past few years, April has talked about the idea spending a day at a local park, just lying under a tree and enjoying being out in the beautiful weather.  Maybe take the camera along and take pictures of the blossoms on some of the trees.  For one reason or another, though, that never happened. Well, not until last Sunday afternoon, anyway.

The idea came up in conversation that morning and since the weather was beautiful that day, we decided to jump at the opportunity to go.  So, we grabbed a blanket, our cameras, and a sandwich to share from Subway, and went to the park for an impromptu picnic.  As you can see, we found a nice place on a hill beneath a couple of trees to pitch our blanket.

Oh sure, I checked my blood sugar and took my dinner time injection of Byetta before I started eating, but as soon as that was out of the way, my diabetes was pushed to the back burner and my attention returned to what was really important at the moment, April and our time together.

We had our meal and spent a while just laying on the blanket, taking in the view of our surroundings.  And before we left the park, we took pictures of the blossoms on the trees and managed to snap some shots of each other in the process.  It was a lot of fun.

It’s so important to remember that our loved ones also endure a lot of grief because of the health issues with which we are diagnosed.  I’m quite thankful that I’ve had April by my side through my battle with congestive heart failure.  I know that it has been every bit as scary for her as it has me.  And, like all spouses of PWDs, April has dealt with the crap that goes along with that role, too.  The highs, the lows, and the god awful mood swings, too.

So, anytime there’s an opportunity to do something fun that allows us to think beyond those other things, we jump on it.  And we do our best to enjoy every minute we have during those times.

April finally got the day in the park that she’s wanted for so long and I got a souvenir of that day.

My new favorite photo of her.