No word yet…Our lives of travel are still up in the air…

Although, a few days ago, I left Tina at Cleveland Clinic a message (by email), informing her that I’ve had two bouts of Afib this week and need an appointment as soon as possible, I never heard back. I know how busy they are with patients and many celebrities coming from all over the world for heart surgeries; I have to accept the reality that my name is not at the top of the list.

I’ve read online about the long wait many patients experience trying to get appointments at many of the US’s foremost and best heart surgery facilities. I would do something else if I felt my situation was an emergency. But I don’t believe it is right now. I can walk, albeit with some limitations; I’m not out of breath, my feet and legs aren’t swollen, and I have no chest pains, all of which are symptoms of what would be considered an “emergency.”

In the interim, I’ve listened to several videos from the heart clinic at CC and was all the more convinced this is where I need to go. I will wait. I feel confident I am on “the list” and will be notified when a spot is available. I am not stressing about this but merely looking forward to being able to plan for the next six months. Moreover, in my impatient manner, I prefer to know what the future holds regarding our travels and, now, my health.

It seems the only time I think much about it is in the mornings when I check my email after showering, dressing for the day, and starting up my laptop. However, this is the weekend, and their offices are closed on the weekend, and the reps/nurses handling the bookings are off on the weekend. Maybe I’ll hear next week.

In any case, we’re leaving Arizona in 11 days, on May 1, to drive to Los Angeles to see my sister Julie for a few days. Yesterday, she and I texted, and it looks like she is arranging lunch at a restaurant with our cousins, most of whom I haven’t seen in almost 60 years. Wow! How can any experience be 60 years ago? That certainly can make a person think about how old they are!

I wouldn’t recognize my cousins if I bumped into them, nor have I stayed in touch all these years, but it sounds as if they are interested in seeing us. It should be fun but far from our Santa Monica hotel. It’s 39 miles, which in the Los Angeles area can easily be a 90-minute trip each way in traffic, one of the reasons I don’t like going to California.

This morning, I scheduled a time to speak with my dear friend Karen, who lives in Florida. We’ve seen her and her husband, Rich, many times since we began traveling years ago. As with many dear friends, our relationships have endured over time and distance. How fortunate we both are with the many friendships we’ve made before and after we began traveling.

After talking to my friend, Tom and I will head to the supermarket, this time Safeway, to buy a few items we need. The rest of my day will consist of doing exercises, including walking. Even though I didn’t feel well for a few days, I continued to exercise, knowing it is the best thing I could do, in moderation, while waiting for treatment.

We’re going out for dinner for the first time since we arrived on April 1. It’s been fun staying with the family and snacking on the munchy spreads Colleen sets up most nights at her place. On a few occasions, we brought a full dinner I’ve made and brought ham and cheese on other nights for snacking.

It will be good to get out one night. Hopefully, everyone will join us, but if they don’t feel up to going out, we’ll go on our own and meet up with them later to play cards again. The past two nights, I didn’t leave our place; instead, I put on my pajamas and relaxed in the living room, mindlessly streaming a few movies. I am ready to get out tonight.

It’s time to get back to walking. Have a lovely weekend.

Be well.

Photo from ten years ago today, April 20, 2014: