We went to dinner at a new restaurant the other day. I had to park a block away and my husband seemed a bit concerned about the walk. I encouraged him, offered him my arm which he quickly declined, and off we went. The sidewalk was broken and uneven, but we took our time and made it there and back safely. And the food was well worth it. Sometimes my husband underestimates his abilities and needs a bit of a push to make it through.

It’s spring and time for yardwork which was always my husband’s domain pre-PD. Unfortunately, there is little he can do outside safely now other than watch me work. I finally had to have a conversation and ask him not to come out because it was too challenging for me to try to look out for him and keep him safe while trying to get something done. I had to pull him back from helping with yard work.

I think of the two-headed llama from the Dr. Doolittle stories known as the “Pushmi-Pullyu”. It has a head in both directions to stay safe from predators as it climbs the mountains of Tibet. An interesting analogy as I think of the pushing and pulling I do with my husband attempting to keep him safe in our environment. I just hope he has the patience of the llama, known to be a very calm and sensitive creature who only occasionally spits at others. I think I can deal with that.