The Long Way Home
I missed last week's update, but I had a pretty good reason: I was still finishing the first long trip I have taken away from home since surgery.
Mom and I had gone to visit my sister in Pennsylvania. The trip was worth it, but the drive home took three days, and by the end I was eager to stop looking at the highway and start looking at my own bedroom.
There is something very specific about wanting your own bed after a long drive. A hotel bed can be perfectly comfortable and still feel like it belongs to somebody else's life.
Once we made it back, I dropped Mom off, picked up Gretchen, and finished the trip home. That was the moment the whole journey finally felt complete.
Monday Meant Back to Everything
I did not give myself a long runway after getting home.
On Monday, I went back to work and returned to cardiac rehab. So far, it has been a good week. I am feeling good, and it has been nice to get back into a familiar rhythm after being away.
That routine means more to me now than it did before surgery. Work is not just work, and rehab is not just another appointment on the calendar. Being able to return to both after a long trip is its own kind of progress.
The trip proved that I could get away from home. This week is proving that I can come back and pick up the routine again.
Recovery Outside Cardiac Rehab
Another good part of the week has been working out with my new workout partner outside of cardiac rehab.
Cardiac rehab still gives me structure, supervision, and a place to keep rebuilding. The workouts outside of rehab are helping me carry that effort into regular life. Having somebody else there also makes it easier to show up and keep the schedule.
I am not trying to pretend recovery is finished. I am simply noticing that I feel better every day, and I still feel myself getting stronger every day.
For me, that steady improvement matters more than one dramatic milestone.
Maybe Every Other Week Fits Better
I have been calling these Friday weekly updates, but I am thinking they may become an every-other-week update instead.
I could call that bimonthly, but that word has never done anybody any favors.
Every other week may give me a little more time to live, recover, work, and collect something worth sharing. I still want to keep everyone updated. I just do not want the schedule to become more important than the update itself.
For now, I am going to try the rhythm and see how it feels.
The Porch Is Almost Ready
The other update is at home: my porch is getting done.
I am hoping it will be finished by this weekend. After the travel, the return to work, cardiac rehab, and the extra workouts, sitting outside while the rain comes down sounds like a very good reward.
Gretchen will supervise, naturally.
I am looking forward to having a place where the two of us can sit outside, listen to the rain, and enjoy being home.
What Comes Next
The plan is pretty simple: keep going to work, keep showing up for cardiac rehab, keep working out with my partner, and keep paying attention to how I feel.
I also want to keep sharing more than just medical updates. If there are other ideas or topics you would like me to talk about, let me know. I have even been thinking about whether some of these conversations could turn into a podcast or something similar.
I do not know exactly what that looks like yet, but I like the idea of making these updates a little more conversational and letting your questions help shape them.
Final Thought
The first long trip since surgery is behind me. I made it home, slept in my own bed, went back to work, returned to cardiac rehab, and started finding the routine again.
That may not sound dramatic, but recovery is often built out of ordinary things becoming possible again.
This week, ordinary feels pretty good.
Thanks, everybody. I hope you enjoyed the update, and I will talk to you again soon.
I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. This is simply what I am learning through my own recovery. Anything medical should be discussed with your own care team.