Free At Last

To paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., "Free at last, Free at last, Thank God almighty"... I am ... "free at last." 

I am home. Finally. No longer am I constrained by the strictures of hospital routine. No more vital sign checks every four hours. No more interrupted nights of sleep, awoken by the clatter and bustle of hospital staff hustling about in their appointed rounds. No more having to ask for assistance in turning in a bed too small for a body my size. No more early morning awakenings as shifts change at 7:00 AM, as early risers call for help, and breakfasts. No more meals on a schedule determined by hospital food services, in small portions and taste near impossible to withstand.

I am home. I sit in peace, only the whirring of my freezer motor breaking the near perfect silence. Calm. Glorious, wonderful calm. Space without curtains or stretchers or hospital equipment. My space. My things. My smells. My... everything. I sit, enjoying this time, waiting for the bustle to begin once again as guests arrive for to watch the Grey Cup and share happiness with me. My spirit near vibrates at the excitement of being, once again, independent, or at least as independent as I can be.

There is much to do, but I am in no rush to do it. There is ample laundry, left from my sudden departure to hospital. There is the spoiled food in the fridge, having gone bad over the two weeks I have been away. My table is littered with empty shopping bags, electronics, cups, water bottles, and all kinds of papers. Yet I will attend to none of this right now. For the moment, I will simply enjoy being here, relaxing with a coffee and Bailey's, something unavailable in a hospital.

I am tired, needing to fall back into my routine, needing to rest from the lack of rest while in hospital. This is another reason for me to take it slow. There will soon be people to help, people who will go to the store for fresh supplies, people who will sort, carry, and launder my clothes and linens, people who will tidy, put away, pick up, and toss out. I am incredibly fortunate to have these people around me. They keep me alive, keep me wanting to live. Without them, I would be unable.