05/16/2022
Lynn Murphy Mark
Home bound
Today is the 10th day since Jan has been home from the hospital. Every day she gets a little stronger and her stay in the hospital loses its hold on her. She is what Home Health people call “homebound”, which qualifies her for in home services. Because she came home weak as a kitten, I have pretty much been homebound too, except for two trips to the grocery store and one baseball game when a friend came and stayed with her.
So, for me, no immigration work, no church, no meetings, no coffee with friends. I do not wear this restriction well. Oddly, my introverted self requires leaving the house to follow the routine that I have set up. I am not good at being homebound. There is something about visits to the wider world that feeds my spirit.
Not that there isn’t enough to do to pass the time at home. I fix three meals a day, make sure Jan gets her medications on time, and generally wait for her to tell me what she needs. There is laundry, there are dishes, there is Mollie dog to attend to, and there is always a need to straighten up the few rooms that we have. Grocery shopping and trips to the pharmacy are my approved out trips and I enjoy them more than ever. I used to dislike going to the grocery store and now it’s the highlight of my day. Everything is relative.
This makes me wonder about my extrovert/introvert tendencies. Rose, who knows all things Meyers-Briggs, reminds me that it is about the way I process information that helps determine the category. She’s right. I process everything in my head before I ever share with another person. So I am a true introvert who needs to get out of the house and fulfill some purpose.
Being a 24/7 caregiver has its benefits. It is a loving thing to do and I keep reminding myself of this. For now, my purpose is to help Jan on her road to recovery. The things that call to me that are outside of the house will simply have to wait. It won’t be long before she is strong enough to be on her own and I can resume my other roles. It is good for me to discipline myself to participate in her journey to health. She has challenges facing her that will require a change in her life style, so anything I can do to assist with that is pretty important. In the long run, we will both benefit.
There is a saying that has helped me put things in perspective and realize that this is a temporary change for me. That saying, so useful, is, “This too shall pass.”.