a holiday

I'm a going a travelling
My head is clear and empty
And as happy as this blue, blue sky
I packed no problems in my suitcase
No questions in my pockets
I threw away the reasons why
Now everybody gets tired of shaking
The same old geography
I got to get away baby
It's time to take a holiday

Lyrics by Paul Campbell

As the cold frigid air of February began to tighten its grip on my part of Canada, I found myself suddenly ensconced in the mountains of Kingston, Jamaica. With a daughter studying abroad for the year, I had every legitimate reason to be there. A father ensuring her safety and security, delivering needed provisions, engaging in some minor problem-solving, ensuring she was well fed and her pantry was stocked at least for one week of the year! 

Travelling is becoming increasingly difficult for me as my PD progresses. The disruption to routines, the extras I have to tote with me, dealing with the inevitable anxious moments, and a body that tends to wear out and tire quicker than ever before all make it more challenging. Yet, faced with the cold, the snow, the omnipresent wind chill - the prospects of a week away in the Caribbean was too inviting. I got to get away baby, it was time to take a holiday!

And, indeed, it was good to get away. Too short, of course but good. No matter how short a time, or how great a distance, I can't get away from my PD. But I can get away, or at least be diverted from, the day-to-day pains and strains of PD. The chance to take breakfast out on the patio; to walk an unfamiliar path in an unfamiliar land; to eat some fresh exotic fruit; to chat with someone I'd never met about their homeland, their culture or their faith; to hear some music i'd never heard before; to sleep (and really sleep) in a strange bed. 

Yes, at times I felt the disruption to my routines. And indeed I felt the weight of the medical supplies and sundries I had to carry. I also had my anxious moments and others where I felt tired beyond belief. But, it was good to get away. When you look back at the week away, and you recall the hardest thing you did was to open a beer bottle without a bottle opener, you know you've had a holiday!

No problem, mon?