Day Twenty-six

The Downside of the Nomad

One of the greatest drawbacks of RV living is geographic isolation. Kathy and I need to be in Rochester, NY because of her mother’s situation. Rita has been on a feeding tube for over a year in the nursing home. Kathy’s other siblings have been dealing with this but Kathy is feeling the pressure, as the oldest, to step up to the plate and do her part.

The rub comes is that we have family, back in Florida, with health issues. Especially significant at this time is my grandmother, Isabel Fowler. She is ninety-seven and recently fell and suffered a broken hip. Because of her other illnesses, diabetes, CHF, and leukemia, her immobility has her pushed her to the edge of survival. Fluids are building up in her body and she is now hospitalized with a large blood clot in her leg. The doctors have concluded that there is nothing they can do and she will probably go home under hospice care.

So, what do you do when you need to be in two places at once? Of course, this situation is no different than it is for those that have moved away from family, but it does become particularly relevant to the full-time RV’er. I mention this as many that choose to do as we have need to factor this dimension into their decision making process. To fail to do so might produce great angst if these circumstances are not anticipated.

Today, we are attending the funeral of the father of Kathy’s sister-in-law, Jan Lloyd. Being here we are able to do this. If we were still in Florida the expense of travel would prevent this. It is true that we are often pulled to be supportive in family situations but are unable logistically, practically, or financially to do so.

So, the question now is what do we do? For Kathy and I to fly back together is prohibitively expensive. For me to return alone is still expensive but I have an offer of help. If I go alone, I leave Kathy alone to deal with the situation here. It’s difficult to know what decision to make.