Striking the balance and dealing with the see-saw effect

Life onboard Zulu is always interesting and never dull but sometimes the events that shake us up aren't nice ones.  It seems that there has been much heartache for several of our good friends in recent times and they've not said anything because they very sweetly feel we have enough to deal with of our own.  Admittedly I had a day out in London last week to see my allergy consultant there and came back with new drugs (relatively "safe" ones suitable for people with bleeding tummies etc - this is not what I have btw!) that I then had quite a nasty reaction to, but it doesn't mean that I don't have mental space to support my friends.  When my darling daddy was diagnosed with terminal cancer he astounded us by pointing out that everyone around him had started being nicer to each other.  They had been reminded that tomorrow isn't a guarantee.  He said that he was proud that people could take something positive from his situation.  I'm not terminally ill, I don't have one of the biggies, but things are tough sometimes, and there are times when admittedly I can look pretty scary.  I hope it's not egotistical of me to hope that rather than pitying me, people see me and take stock of what they have, and how much they love the people around them, and take those extra moments to show their love. It doesn't take much to show someone that you love and appreciate them; doesn't have to be flashy gifts. I handwritten note or card left for them to find can be priceless to someone having a really shitty day!

I do believe that we become a little engrossed in our own world down on the riverbank, and it's very easy to become almost detatched from the outside world in a way.  We have gone months in the past where we would do our working week and then cast off the ropes on a Friday at ten past five, and not come back to our mooring until teatime on Sunday and we would have specifically been to beautiful spots on our river where we would be either completely alone or with other similarly minded boaters who don't feel the need to cruise from pub to pub. We didn't deal with supermarkets on a Saturday, or feel the need to plumb in the satellite dish and watch the news (we'd catch up on Monday anyways) or mingle with loud crowds.  We could sit somewhere beautiful and idylic and read our chosen book, drink tea, and relax with our monsters.

Things changed gradually after I started getting sick and we tend not to cruise too far and Mr W gets anxious if we moor anywhere remote in case I need to get to a hospital in a hurry.  Taxi drivers aren't good at finding some of our local marinas (as we know from experience one of the first times my health issues became very obvious) so his fears aren't completely unfounded.  There are a few moorings though that FEEL remote and offer the tranquility and detatchment that I'm missing so much, so we do still manage a few nights out here and there.  This change has almost forced us back into the "normal" world though, along with a teenager that doesn't want us to go anywhere without her and refuses to cook for herself that has to stay at the marina to be able to get to work at the pub next door.  She does have her own boat, her own kitchen, etc but it doesn't seem to make any difference! :o)

So as we're not disappearing down the river this weekend but I look forward to meeting my lovely friend, J, for a little girly shopping trip around the very pretty Ely, and perhaps find some more crafting materials to play with! If my hands stop feeling like they've been flayed I'm looking forward to bringing some of the pictures into my head into reality.  There are folks waiting for things and it makes me so sad that I can't just whip into action that way I'd like to.  I guess it makes my creations that much more special though, right? I have to fight for them! :o) 

So this weekend, whether you're forcing your way through the supermarket in the real world, or hiding in an imaginary world of your own in your equivalent of the remote mooring, take a moment and think about the people you love and maybe mention to them that you did? And take a moment to think about you too. Do something you really want to do - even if it's just play silly buggers in the garden with the dog for five minutes!