Hello!
Update:
We are still in Cape May, New Jersey, at Utsch’s marina. I have a follow up at Will’s Eye Hospital on Wednesday, July 29 in Philadelphia. It is very exciting to report that I am regaining vision in my left eye, as expected. The vision is returning from the top; it started out as a sliver, increases every day and is pretty clear. After this week we plan to move north to Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We will visit people, visit some lovely New England harbors, relax, have fun and hopefully have some family join us. We may leave the boat in New England, but either way, we plan to be home in St Petersburg for the winter. Even before we started this trip, Al said he wanted to be home for the holidays. I thought we were going to go sailing for several years. In retirement I have learned that plans are fluid and can change easily.
Changing my first impression of Cape May and recuperating from eye surgery:
Some locations we visit I love immediately while others I have to warm up to. At first my impression of Cape May was of an overcrowded tourist town. We went to the tourist traps on our first day of sightseeing, the shops on the Washington Street Mall and the Fish House restaurant on Sunset Beach at the most crowded time of day. But, in the past week or so I have discovered the appeal of Cape May. During a memoir writing class on Monday, I met some locals including the Poet Laureate of Cape May, Sylvia Baer, who led the class. She has published several books. There were such nice people there and the class was right on the water at the Convention Hall. Afterwards I had a chance to look out at the ocean, listen to the waves and walk on the Cape May promenade. The promenade is a wide sidewalk running along the beach between the sand dunes and the road. Large beautiful Victorian houses still line the road across from the beach. I could picture how lovely it was long ago. Being a beach lover that helped me see the charm of the “shore” as they call it here. Plus I discovered a restaurant, McGlades, that seats you right in the dunes. I will be going back to the beach before I leave. Al and I always hit the historical sites to get the feel for a town. We went on tours of the Victorian Physick Estate house, Congress Hall, the Harriet Tubman Museum and Fisherman’s Wharf. We also visited the Cape May lighthouse. Cape May has a central cultural group, MAC, that runs the tours and museums and was the force that started the restoration of the town. This is a charming small town with interesting history and some very nice people.
It doesn’t sound like it from the description above, but I have also taken a lot of time to rest. It’s surprising how long it takes time to recuperate from surgery on such a small body part. My left eye gets tired and just occasionally painful. I also have found it tiring to have clear vision in one eye and very poor vision in the other eye. I have rested when I needed to and eaten a lot of good food which I know is helping my eye!
It struck me this week how debilitating this injury was. All activity stopped except the basics like eating and dressing for several weeks and has returned gradually. Just this week I was straightening out an area in the galley, making things organized and attractive. It’s something I really like to do and hadn’t done since before the injury almost a month ago. Illness can take away the part of ourselves that makes us who we are as a unique person. It can rob you of the energy to do things that truly feed your soul. I am fortunate and extremely thankful to be returning to normal but hope I remember this observation when helping others in the future.
I believe that will be all for this week.
Thank you for reading and thank you also for your words of support and encouragement. It has been incredibly helpful and meaningful.
Love and Peace,
Fran Lima
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