COVID-19 Cruise Restrictions are Easing -- Conditionally and Not Quite Yet

    October 1 the US ban on cruise ships expires...Well, not really. The Cruise industry is being incredibly responsible, implementing a slow, phased approach. "Most cruise companies — including Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Disney among others — have canceled all cruises leaving from US ports until at least December, according to the Miami Herald newspaper."

    "The first phase of this effort focuses not on passengers but crew members, who would be allowed to disembark from ships in territorial waters of the United States.

    "The phased return begins while cruise ship operators build lab capacity to test crew members and future passengers. Companies must show they adhere to testing, social distancing, quarantining and isolating requirements when necessary.

    "Later phases involve "mock voyages," with volunteers playing the role of passengers to test virus mitigation strategies on trips. Once ships have met certain requirements, they will be certified to begin operations with real passengers."

    - CNN.com, linked below

    I wonder how one gets to be a volunteer test passenger?

Issues About My Future and Who is the Boss of Me!

I'm fairly certain my sisters don't want me getting a new RV and hitting the road again. I'm pretty sure they want me to settle down and save money.

What are the concerns about my becoming a nomad again? Not "their" concerns, but "the" concerns?

Paying back people I owe money to. 
    I will not buy an RV/van until everyone is paid back. Duh.

Can I work? Disability? Need to figure that out.
    In the not-too-distant future I think I'll be able to work (see below).
    I can collect Disability if I cannot work; I just need a permanent address and checking account.
    Justifying Disability if I'm traveling: traveling is a completely different skill set. Holding a job involves a regimen my concentration may not allow, routine and tasks my memory may not allow, and stamina I may not have.
    Obviously I prefer to work!

Making money and saving money for retirement. I have to cover this base, obviously. 
    Working in National Parks.
    Writing and selling books.
    Monetizing blogs.
    Selling other items through amazon fulfillment services.
    
Keeping up with taxes, health insurance, etc.
    Make this a daily priority and put it in my "diary" to-do list.
    Make my bank accounts viewable by my sisters so they see this is being done.

Savings for van repair, emergencies.
    I have to have some savings to hit the road.
    I have to have income to hit the road.
    I have to have a savings column in the budget.
    Allay their fears by making bank accounts viewable by my sisters.

Safety.
    Cell phone.
    GPS for siblings to always know where I am.
    Pepper spray.
    Call/email/post online for sisters every night.
    AAA
    Car maintenance.

The bottom line is:
    I have tried to "get over" this wanderlust. It's not a phase, it's who I am.
    Some day I may be physically unable to travel and live in a small RV, but that day is not yet.
    I am an adult and I don't have a brain tumor or mental functioning issues anymore.
    If I can support myself financially (including through Disability), it's no one else's business how I do that.
    I get to determine the course of my life. Period.

Update, and Resuming the Journey

I haven't kept up this blog, as right after brain surgery I was out of it, and since then I've been working on recovery.

I went into hospital just as COVID-19 was starting to cancel all elective surgery. Luckily, I made it through under the wire (and was in bad enough shape they probably would have taken me anyway).

I'm doing fantastic! Now 7 months out, I'm not quite ready for a job, yet. But the world has changed so much there aren't many job options right now anyway. And I don't know what job prospects there will be when I'm ready to go back to work. I try not to focus on that, but it's a challenge. 

I'm getting better and stronger every day. I have cognitive problems and absolutely no short term memory, but I'm in therapy for that, as well as psychotherapy to develop techniques to deal with the psychological problems exacerbated by the lingering issues. Progress seems excruciatingly slow, but the doctors and therapists insist I'm doing really well. What do they know? 😉

I have published an ebook, Coping with Depression: A Tip-a-Day for 2021, and also have my prior ebook, Travels with Mom, The A-B-C's of Traveling with a Senior Companion.

I'm going to keep up with this blog, and to follow discussion about Coping with Depression, check out THIS BLOG.

Surgery Day

I just want to say I'll see you all on the other side... Thank you!

Stumbling

When you stumble repeatedly on your afternoon walk, and one time a stranger asks "Are you OK?" and you want to say "No, I  have a big honking tumor in the middle of my brain" but you say "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks."

On the plus side, it is a glorious day out there!

Support System - I Am Truly Blessed

For so long - literally several years - I forgot I don't have to go it alone. My cognition deteriorated and I just couldn't figure it out, or sometimes even recognize it. I wandered and wondered and, frankly, did enjoy life to a great extent. But I kept getting worse.

Falling behind.

Thank goodness my family stepped in. I'm watched, loved, cared for, and coped for. I'm getting the help I need. There was something wrong, darn it! I don't know how I missed that.

I am so grateful for my family, and for my sister, Trish, especially, for taking the reins when I had to drop them. I just couldn't hold on any longer. 

I am truly blessed.

Eyes

Wow, my eyesight has really diminished! Darn brain tumor.

After recovery from surgery I think this will be my priority, or one of them. Comprehensive eye tests and new prescriptions. I would love to see clearly again, and I will!

Update

It's been a while...

My surgery is scheduled for March 16, with an appointment next week for prep (I think).

Recovery in the hospital will be a day, probably, with a rehab facility or home after that. Amazing. They're cutting open my brain and operating for about 8 hours, and recovery may be a couple of days or weeks. Unbelievable, really. 

I'm hoping I'm a big enough priority that even if the coronavirus hits this area, they will proceed with my schedule. But that's out of my control.

Life goes on. I am walking a couple of times a day and doing breathing exercises to get my stamina up. My appetite is voracious because I'm on a steroid, but that is temporary and the least of my worries.

I'll try to keep you all updated more regularly, but, you know, I have a brain tumor so I'm pretty foggy these days!

Steroids

I've been eating like crazy for a couple of weeks. Tonight my sister finally put it together. Steroids!

I haven't gained weight yet, maybe because I'm walking daily. But a little weight gain is better than a brain tumor, I guess.

Progress

My surgery is scheduled for March 16, which just happens to be my birthday. A re-birthday this year!

A few other appointments are scheduled before that, as well. I'm on my way...

I do breathing exercises at least 3 times a day, and so far I kind of suck at breathing. Good thing I have a month to practice and build up my stamina.

I had been constipated for about 6 days, but this morning I pooped! It's the little things these days. 😅

After recovery I need an income. I'm thinking a basic  job like dishwasher or hostess or stockroom to start. Nothing to tax the brain. If something desk/phones is available, that could be good, too.

I've contacted a local friend to start building an independent life here. It's on!!!

Soon Off to Another MRI Consult

I'll let you know how that goes!

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

Probably not, but I hope so!

I have a million questions

Will I live?

Did I catch it in time?
Why did it take me so long to deal with it properly?
How much functioning is permanently gone?

How will I live?
How will I make a living?
How will I pay people back?

Am I communicating to the right people in the right way?

Okay, the rest of the million questions will dribble out!

Now the journey is to HEALTH!

I've stopped traveling for a while and am staying at my sister's, dealing with my health. A brain tumor, BENIGN, must be gone!

I'll be posting here, as well as at my new blog, Journey to Wellness. I think the posts will be the same on both, but who knows? I don't know much of anything right now!

But I'm okay, and looking forward to more communication, healing, and then more travel!