Walking the High Line

There is this woman on our floor. She occupies the room right next to ours. Her name is Shirley. I don't like being in the kitchen when she is in there. She gives off bad energy. She enters the room giving very little eye contact, will say hello if you greet her and then she goes about her business with a frown on her face. It is probably that she is a very sad and lonely person so I will try to ignore the feelings I get when I am around her. Maybe she was this way before she got cancer. Maybe not everyone can see the good in their circumstances. But Shirley, who Jim and I referred to as the grumpy lady before we knew her name, must be struggling with a lot. I have never seen her sitting and talking with anyone and no one is staying with her in the room. Most residents on the 11th floor have a partner or caretaker with them. It is mandatory for transplant patients. People come to the Hope Lodge for many different reasons. Some are here for a short time for treatment, whether it be radiation or chemotherapy. Some people are here for a brief follow up visit with their doctor. All in all everyone on our floor is friendly.

Last year at this time Jimmy and I were traveling in our Airstream with Boo staying at Pocomoke River State Park. An important part of recovery is to have a vision of the future and what you see your life as. We look forward to traveling again in the Airstream. Jim also sees a new Ford Pickup truck in his future.

After a very late breakfast we set out for a long walk. It was a little chilly out but the sun was shining. We ended up walking to the High Line, the linear park built on an elevated section of an old railroad line. There were a lot of people walking the High Line but we took our time and walked the entire 1 1/4 mile path. The fake monks were at it again trying to scam people of their money with the false pretense of building a monastery somewhere. Jim and I followed and watch as people amazingly handed over their money. After the High Line we walked to Chelsea Market and I went in to get some fresh shrimp for dinner while Jim avoided the crowds and waited for me outside. The Chelsea Market has the most incredible seafood store. I have never seen so many different kinds of fish and other edible creatures. They also have a stand that sells fresh goat ice cream with tahini toppings. Skye and I discovered it when she was visiting last. Of course I had to get one. When we got back to the Hope Lodge we had walked 3.6 miles. Almost the entire walk was flat and Jim did great.

My shrimp dinner turned out delicious, crusty bread and a bottle of white would have made it even better. The rest of the night was Nationals versus New York Mets on TV.