Dealing with Transition

It happens every year, the transition from warm temps in the summer to the cold weather in winter. Bridging the gap between these two is the appropriately named fall, as temperatures begin to drop. Friday, I was out in the elements and not enjoying the new reality.

Early in the morning, my day nurse notified us she was ill and would not be able to come. Therefore, my parents would need to cover the time. They had planned on a day for the two of them to spend time together and I would go to my annual physical. Since the three of us would have the entire day, we would combine our separate plans into one.

Dad finished getting me ready for the day when he returned from work. Despite looking like a nice partly sunny day out my window, my thermostat read a temp in the 40's. Getting out at my doctor's office, the cool air hit my face with a shock. My appointment went well, but I also got my annual flu shot while I was there. I debated since I was scheduled to preach today, but hoped I wouldn't have a reaction.

When my appointment was complete, we headed to southeast Iowa with a goal of visiting the Dutchman's Store in the tiny town of Cantrel. I have heard many stories about this unique store, but never visited myself. On the way, we stopped for lunch in another larger town, but actually went inside to eat (a rarity). After dining on Chinese, we finally reached our destination. Getting out of the van each time, the sun felt good on my face, but the breeze and shade felt miserable.

The store was indeed very unique. It looked like multiple buildings had morphed into one large structure with each having it's own specialty. One section had belts and footwear, another hats, toys, spices of all sorts, and a large grocery store. The area around Cantrel has a large Amish population with many getting supplies at the Dutchman's Store. Young women with traditional Amish clothing gave curious, but polite, glances toward this guy in a wheelchair wearing jeans and barefoot.

With our main goal reached, my parents finished their purchases and we started heading home, with a few more stops on the way. As the sun sank low on the horizon, all I could think of was getting home in bed and under the blankets. I felt cold, but my parents were warm in the van that had been heated by the sun. As home neared, I was mentally planning early hibernation and wanting to stay inside and rest. However, I figured my flu shot had some influence on my feelings.

Around March, 40's-50's will feel warm again. Part of the quad life is dealing with bad temperature regulation, but I'm thankful for warm beds, homes, blankets, and the ability to get out and explore.