TRAVEL
Mudgee trip Nov 2020
Well, I haven't written for a while so I thought I might start with this subject .....travel. As you probably know, I had a stroke 4 1/2 years ago, a pretty big one, not gunna lie, not that I am proud of that. I certainly don't do things in halves. A lot of recovery is going on and without being hard on myself, it's probably not happening quicker than I want. One of my biggest fears is travelling great distances. More than 100 kms. We did a small road trip a couple of months ago to pick up a boat and trailer from Parkes for my youngest son, boys and their toys eh, chip off the old block. That was a trek, 10 hours in a car, my Fear Factor was through the roof. I think what it boiled down to, was constantly thinking where the next loo stop was, something as silly as that.
We've been talking about a trip for a while now, so my wife and sister-in-law said, hang it, we're going to do another road trip, just the four of us, no kids. An Airbnb was booked in Mudgee, about 4 hours from Sydney and guess what 
At this stage of recovery, I am reliant on a walker and in safe places, a walking stick. The little house was situated pretty much in the middle of town in easy walking distance of the pub, the pub and the other pub, oh and a coffee shop. The accommodation had everything, from a usable small kitchen, sitting room, bed and bath rooms and a suprising array of tech. So easy. We drove around town tasting wines, cheese, honey, cherries, you name it. I took off in the morning and walked by myself to the parks and various walkways, smelling the fresh air, watching the hustle and bustle of small town life and combining a bit of physio exercise.... sorry I had to add that for the benefit of any physio's reading this.
Walking to restaurants and pubs was easy, I'm even convinced that my physios had walked the Trail before, adding in obstacles like tree roots, Council diggings, animals, small children and some sweet looking 4wd's.
So all in all a great trip and really nothing to worry about. I think the take out for me was sometimes you've got to face your fears and don't overthink it. Trust in those around you and that they know more about you than you think. Communication is a big part of that, let them know (And don't be afraid to speak out) when you're going to have difficulty. For me, having trust in myself is a big part of rehabilitation and that ain't easy. All I can say is, life throws you challenges, don't avoid them, embrace them. Hopefully, I'll be on here a little bit more often with other relatable topics.
