A rose is a rose is a rose

Sitting at the breakfast table at nearly noon, Gilly quietly shared a wonderful secret: “I don’t want to say it too loud, but my eyes are a bit better today.” I have been waiting with baded breath for signs of an uphill climb; my wish has been granted.

Yesterday (I think…), Randee brought Gilly some lucky Bamboo. “5 stalks means health,” so it says on the card attached. They help “align Feng Shuei, which means to improve the flow of energy in the room.” It worked, Randella.

Gilly moved down to the garage to work on his wind chimes. He’s been struggling with this project for weeks. I asked to see the famous chimes. When he showed me the task he’s been tackling all this time, I was taken aback. Without my glasses, I could barely see the holes he expected to thread the string through. I have known for quite some time (24 years to be exact) that this man sets high expectations for himself; this is a shining example of just how high!

I asked if he’d be willing to walk around the block, and he accepted the challenge without hesitation. This is the first time in ages he’s agreed to take a walk outdoors. I took the dog's leash, and off we went. “It’s very hard to walk,” he declared. “You don’t realize how difficult this is for me.” I assured him that anything he deems tough must be so, but he does an unbelievable job of masking his fight to walk in a coordinated manner. My other half is really a doer; no task is ever completed haphazardly.

We arrived back and lazed about on the balcony for awhile, admiring the foliage. Gilly took a closer look at the roses, now in bloom (photos above don't nearly do justice to the actual beauty). “I’m so happy,” he said, as he admired the stunning display of nature at its finest. Music to my ears!!

Our trip to the country has been postponed yet again. “Let me enjoy my sight today; I have to finish some things I’ve been working on now that I can see a little bit.” I suspect his resistance has something to do with a need to reacquaint himself with his most familiar surroundings. It takes tremendous effort to feel comfortable in new environments it seems (even the country, which he used to know intricately). He’s been hugging our ‘city’ home very tightly. I plan to help loosen his grip ever so gently, because I know in my heart that he will appreciate Birch Point once he musters up the emotional and physical strength to face it. This is all supposition on my part, but I kinda know my guy by now.

We are about to meet Susie, Joey et al. and Tamara and Max at the Chinese restaurant (he and Yaron went to Lafleur's last night instead of ordering Chinese as they'd originally planned). Gilly walked into the room just as I was about to sign off: "Here's something else for your blog. I can't see. I mean I can see a bit better, but it's hard when you can't see. My walking is not straight." It's discouraging, because the slight improvement dissipated as the day progressed. Let's hope tomorrow morning will be that much clearer.

Shabbat Shalom.