The Great Outdoors

It's been three months since the fall. Much of that time has been divided up between the hospital room, my living room, and the lobby to my rehab. Tomorrow that will change. We are taking the Vanagon to San Clemente where we will camp for a few days. The last time we were there was three days before a skateboard ride around the neighborhood turned into the ride that nearly ended my life. The main picture on this blog was taken on that trip to San Clemente. My hair was long, my muscles bulging...right? On that trip we talked about long trips in the Vanagon, the open road. Aimee and I talked about heading north to Canada. I would write and she would take pictures. We talked about taking control of our lives. Three days later, we both lost our grip on our lives.

Today, when I wasn't working, we were out shopping for our trip. I had visions of the excursion. Most consisted of me with the same scraggly long hair, the same powerful physique, the same straight posture. I stopped myself. That's not me anymore. Tomorrow I will set up camp weaker, slower, and with less hair than three months prior. Tomorrow, my beers will be non-alcoholic, my activities less strenuous.

It's strange to think that I am returning to the same place a different person. In the past I associated progress with time. I now feel as if I traveled back in time, like the skateboard was my flux capacitor. I am curious how I will take the challenge, how the new me will handle the great outdoors.