The past three weeks I've been back at work after the long month home starting to recovery from my chest operation. I can't say things at work have been wonderful- our airline is going through an awful lot of changes, and all of it's employees futures have yet to be finalized. I'm not as worried that my job will be moving soon as I was initially, but the possibility is still there. It's been irritating to say the least. But it has been nice to not be confined to the apartment, and to be feeling better than I was. Going from constant pain and discomfort to feeling little pain and simply being weak is a welcome improvement. October will mark the point where my lifting restrictions aren't a big factor anymore, and they'll be totally lifted in January. I'm told I'll feel more and more "normal" as those dates go by. So I'm happy to see the summer coming to an end. I don't enjoy heat and humidity (another reason I don't intend to move where my job may go), and fall is my favorite season in MN. I'm ready for long sleeves and changing colors. Ready to stare out at at even colder Lake Superior and burn some firewood. Ready to camp again after all this being holed up at home in the city.
One thing I'll be missing this fall is cycling (and climbing, and backpacking, and running, but mostly cycling). I think fall is my favorite riding season too. It's normal to be at peak yearly fitness around now, and I expect the weather and scenery will great as per normal for fall, so it's perfect for long rides. You might cite that the sun won't be up as long, but hey, the make helmet lights for that. Getting caught out after dark and riding home with the moon and crisp fresh air isn't exactly a negative in my opinion. I see it as part of the fall outdoor experience. But I'll have to wait until fall of 2011 for those types of rides. But instead of fussing over missed riding, I'm going to try my best to enjoy the things I can do- day hikes (snow-shoeing as winter sets in), and the aforementioned camping. There's a lot even a post-surgery outdoor fanatic can do with a good pair of feet and some time. There are a lot of parks in MN I haven't been too, and way more of the Shore to explore, and I hope to get out even despite the fact that I'll be in the worst form of my outdoor life for awhile yet.
I've been keeping my mind occupied indoors more than normal, out of necessity with all this sitting still. I've read some good books- about food, nature, bikes, faith, all good stuff. I'm also working on learning Spanish. It's a good time to do the things I normally am too distracted to do while running around outside.
So some things are looking up. But since there is always a yin to the yang, or whatever contrasting symbolism you prefer, I do have something that has pretty much only been a bother. Alison has had to essentially live out of state recently. Her new flying job involves a standard 8 or so weeks of training, and this time we're not lucky enough to see it happen right here in the Cities. She's down in TN for now, and we don't know where she'll be based when she's on the line. We're back to the lifestyle of living apart quite a bit, and that's a part of flying I've never liked. It does help us value the time we have together though. I suppose there's something good of it.
In time out of state training will end, I'll heal even more, and we will all get back to living like we were. For now we'll try to keep our mood positive and enjoy the things we can.
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