Mom and I were mall rats today!
    Hair day is always a good day to get Mom going, at least it was two and a half years ago. I decided to take a chance that she might be feeling a bit more energetic and suggested before we left home that I throw the wheelchair in the car (she could use it either as a walker or a sitter) and consider a trip to the mall to peruse the department stores for a new bathrobe for her birthday. We'd already determined that she wanted a long, terry cloth, tie robe in lemon yellow. I wasn't sure we'd be able to find exactly what she wanted but my mother considers looking 99% of the fun of buying.
    When I reminded her of the idea, in question form, as she rose from the salon chair, she said, "I don't think it's necessary, let's just go home." From her color, though, and her level of alertness, it occurred to me that she was simply exercising her prerogative (which is one of her many facets that hasn't had much exercise in a long time). Once in the car, I cajoled her into a "quick trip" to check out the sleepwear sale at Mervyn's and got the nod. Off we went.
    Once at the mall, her spirits lifted. My mother is a born shopper. Up until medicine began insidiously sapping her strength, her ability to window and money shop rivaled that of the most materialistic teenager. I have never shared this particular interest with my mother but I'm also easy and when I have a chance to lure her back into the world I'll shop with the best of them.
    Before I hoisted the chair out of the car I made a deal with her. She could sit in the chair when we were in stores, but I thought she should wheel the chair when we were between stores, using it as a shopping cart. She needs the movement, I explained, and she agreed. I said all this knowing that her newly raised energy might flag before the trip was done but I was confident that either I'd be able to tell when she needed to sit or she'd tell me.
    I was right on both counts, but her energy surprised me. We made the round of the entire upper level of the mall, finally finding exactly the bathrobe she had envisioned and described in the third department store. Along the way we wandered into a Hallmark store in which she insisted on wheeling instead of sitting (her pride is one of the sturdier and more amusing of her characteristics), wandered into a store having a shirt sale but didn't find anything she liked after rifling through the entire sale table and gazed at end-of-summer displays. About halfway around the mall she decided to sit. As we passed the food court she eyed the Paradise Bakery and decided it was time for a sandwich. We lunched and people-watched for 45 minutes and she was ready to head for home. "You can stay in the chair, Mom, and I'll wheel you the rest of the way."
    "No, I think I can manage all right," she responded. Up she got and off we went. I noticed she was panting a bit by the time we arrived just outside Mervyn's (no doubt caused by her body trying to digest and move simultaneously, something she hasn't tried in a long time) so I suggested she ride the rest of the way. She didn't argue.
    She just awoke from an hour and a half nap. She looked a little confused as she entered the living room. "Is anything wrong?" I asked.
    "Don't I have an appointment with the doctor today?" she asked.
    She slept so hard that she thought it 0600 instead of 1800, I realized. "No, Mom, I said, "it's still Monday, in the evening. Your appointment's tomorrow. You slept pretty hard, didn't you?"
    "I guess so."
    "Well, I'm not surprised," I observed. "You moved a lot more today than you have in a long time."
    "I know," she said, ironically.
    I was immediately concerned. "Do you hurt anyplace? Do your muscles hurt?"
    "No. Are you sure my birthday wasn't yesterday?" This is a debate we had earlier today. She is sure that we forgot to celebrate her birthday "yesterday."
    "Yes, Mom, I'm sure. We've got a party to go to for you and MCF on Friday and a family party Saturday. Believe me, I'm not going to let you miss your birthday celebrations!"
    "See to it that you don't!" she declared, and we both laughed. The Original Party Lady is back.
    I'm scouring my resources now, coming up with ideas for more day trips that are interesting enough to keep her going until we move back to Prescott, where it is easy to devise indoor and outdoor adventures every day. Mesa, with its incredible heat and ho-hum cultural venue, is less than adequate for our purposes now. I can't wait to get her up the mountain after August 12th.
- posted by gail rae @ 18:24   email...this post