I’m still in the afterglow of my weekend.
It was such a fun time having the family together. The rental house my brother found was perfect for the eleven of us. And the amenities kept us all busy, comfortable, and fed. We had plenty of time to visit, catch up and decompress.
And I got to reconnect with my grandson in person.
This was the highlight of the trip for me. One on one time with my 14-month-old grandson. Because of the annoying Covid-19 and the continuing pandemic, we had only seen him once in person. Now I can say we have seen him twice in person. Three weeks from now, I will visit my grandson for a week.
I look forward to having more bonding time with my grandson.
My life has changed now that I am a grandfather. I know it is time to get back to the gym. When covid went wild, I gave up my gym membership. I am ready to go back to the gym. I want to be stronger to hold my grandson as he gets bigger.
As the pandemic hit, I had been going to the gym 3 to 4 days a week for over 5 years.
My balance, coordination, and stamina had increased respectably. And my muscle mass had increased. I hadn’t lost as much weight as I thought I would. My wife said I was replacing fat with muscle. I think I will go with that.
Depression did not try to crash the party.
I saw no traces of it for over 4 days. Even the tell-tale signs of unhelpful thinking stayed away. I was up early, making coffee each morning, awaiting my grandson’s emergence from his bedroom. I was alert and in the moment. Being able to do that for 4 days gives me hope that I can continue to avoid depression more often.
I know the goal is to lead a balanced life with depression.
So, these four great days offset some of the circling the drain days. Those were days when all I wanted to do was get to a point where I could find any excuse to go back to bed. Days where I saw no path forward. Having the exact opposite type of days, I feel, is well deserved. These family-filled days go way beyond self-care.
I am so thankful for the chance to spend time with family and not with depression.
I didn’t even see depression’s cousin anxiety. They both took the days off. No doubt they are conspiring to get me back under their spell. Luckily, I have a WRAP plan to help me manage a setback; real or imagined. And using that plan, I was able to stop depression from gathering a toe hold in my brain.
Next year is already on my mind.
My attitude towards these types of family get-togethers is positive. And I am willing and ready to collaborate with my brother to find a place for next year. Until then, I will continue to engage family where and when I can.
