According to the Choices in Recovery website it is important for us to take care of ourselves while supporting our loved one. There are a multitude of ways we can do this, and one such way is to do something we enjoy! I did just that this past weekend. I traveled! I didn’t just travel anywhere, but I traveled with my husband to see loved ones. We chose to drive. We drove with a purpose: to celebrate with loved ones, to reconnect with one another and to attempt to relax. It was refreshing. As we drove I didn’t forget anything or anybody, but I connected with the present. I focused on my relationship with my husband. We talked for hours, just the two of us, with our loved ones finding their way back into our conversation now and then, but we talked. I noticed the wrinkles now forming in both our faces, and the strands of gray hair making their presence known. We laughed and smiled as we visited. There was a sense of renewed energy. It was refreshing. However, something interesting happened when we got back home. I almost felt rawer than before the trip. I felt mad that life is as it is. Again I found myself questioning why things can’t be different. I felt frustrated that I don’t have any control. I have always known that life can be painful, but I think I have been feeling the pain for so long that our short trip brought this to my attention. The gift of that small, fragment of time felt so good. It was uplifting. I think I have learned that I need to start doing more to take care of myself. In turn I will be that much stronger to deal with the challenges that come our way. As Bill and I reminisced it became evident that we cannot forget ourselves in all that is happening now or ever.