I Escaped !

It was a mini adventure into the real world, and a lesson that I can't go out alone for a long time, but I got out!  To the grocery store. 

It has been years since I've been grocery shopping with my mother, and we are compatible shoppers - both a little bit Type A, grocery lists organized by layout of the store - no, not so totally neurotic that it is aisle by aisle - and we give things to the cashier in order of heavy to light and durable to squishable.  There wasn't much I needed, and really it was an excuse to get out and do an errand, see how my energy levels lasted, and to see how my rolly Lexus coped in the world.

The grocery store was fine.  I haven't figure out yet, exactly, how one would push a cart AND use a walker at the same time, so that will have to wait until I have full-on energy to be able to use canes and cart for support for 45 minutes.  But it was a lesson in understanding that parents never stop worrying about their children.  I love my mother. She's fabulous (of course she's fabulous, I'm exactly like her :) ).  Supportive, energetic, helpful, loving ... all those things. 

But she's not as mean to me as she was when I was a kid.

I learned from this excursion that mean is better. The kind of mean that says "what are you looking at me for? you know how to use your walker, let's go".  The kind of mean that expects you to get through the task at hand. The kind of mean that will willingly step in and help, but you have to have tried and you have to ask for it. The kind of mean that slips M&Ms into the cart because everyone needs a treat sometimes.

I survived the adventure, there is milk in the house, and a full order of groceries being delivered this morning.  But a note to my kids ... I will continue to be mean to you because a fussing mom would drive you crazy.