This year has truly exemplified the term “roller coaster ride.” Kathy’s Dad died last week after an extended illness.  Her Mom died in May.  They had both been ailing for quite some time before they moved to an assisted living facility in April of this year.  In between we managed to squeeze in a trip to the beach, several weekends to the mountains, including a great weekend with friends at Shenandoah National Park in April.  Then her Mom died in May, later in the month we took a wonderful vacation to Alaska and California, and since then we managed to sneak in a few weekends away, but in general the last several months were consumed with taking care of Kathy’s Dad.

It’s been a tough year.

Kathy & I love to travel, obviously.  And we often use our travel as a way to escape – both mentally and physically – from our everyday realities.  The last 6 months or more have been emotionally and physically draining, and we feel fortunate to have been able to intersperse the grief and sadness with some well-timed getaways.

It’s surprising how the body and mind can take on additional burden without us realizing it, until such time as the burden is lifted from us and we realize how much we had been carrying.  We are starting to feel that lifting now, and it may take a while longer before we fully appreciate it.

We were talking with friends this past week and one of them mentioned that we would be “trying to find our new normal.”  That comment hit home for both of us, and we have talked about it a lot over the last few days.  I really like the concept of “a new normal,” as if feels like what is happening to us now (I say ‘us,’ but of course Kathy has been carrying the burden, and I have been supporting her as much as I can).

It’s a huge change, to go from caring for two people who have loved you for your entire life to having them gone completely in a few short months.  I went through it myself years ago and it still comes back and smacks me in the head when I least expect it.  And I suspect it will continue to do so for a long while to come.

The attraction of this “new normal” idea is that it presents one of those rare times when we have at least a little bit of influence about what that “normal” looks like.  Will it mean big changes for us?  Probably not.  But I know that losing both of my parents at an early age – my Mom was 53 when she died, my Dad was 54 – has had a profound influence on how I have looked, and how I continue to look, at my own life as I approach (and hopefully pass) those ages.  Let’s just say that I’m hoping for a heck of a birthday party for July 2013!

The concept of “a new normal” is very appropriate to me, because it aptly describes the adjustment process that inevitably takes place when a major change occurs in our lives.  Many of these changes are very subtle, such as not having to remember to make a phone call, or not having to plan our route so we come home via Statesville.  Some of them are pretty major, as in the fact that having someone living close by and being primarily responsible for their care was one of the major influences to us in terms of staying in the area.  Does that mean we’re going to sell the house and move to Alaska?  Not today, but when we do decide it’s time to sell the house – which is the only “physical” thing keeping us here – who knows?  The kids are here, and our jobs (for as long as we want them or as long as our employers want us) are here.  But fewer ties mean more possibilities.  And that is what “new normal” means for me right now.  What will it mean in a few months or a few years?  Time will tell, but I’m looking forward to figuring it out.

We had already planned a trip to the beach over Labor Day weekend, but we had an opportunity to extend that into a full week.  I think a week of sand, sun and ocean will do us good.  Some quiet time to think and talk, a nice beach for long walks, and a number of good restaurants where they treat us like locals.  It is one of our favorite places to visit, and a good place to start getting in touch with our new normal.  Indeed.