To The Movies!

I'm still flying from my big outing today...

We went to the movies! We went to see Julie and Julia which both Mom and I loved!

Last night Mom and I were brainstorming ideas for an outing today, as she had taken the day off of work. I knew that if we didn't go on an outing today, I'd be cooped up for the rest of the week. Plus it's so hot outside, many of the options seemed unworkable--such as going to Kohl's to try to get some sneakers.

Mom suggested going to a movie. I called the theater and asked if I would be able to sit somewhere using my zero-gravity reclining chair. It fit easily in the handicapped row towards the front of the theater.

Planning for anything is very difficult for me. I never know how I'm going to feel from day to day. We decided that if I got enough sleep and felt okay when I woke up, we would go. If not, we wouldn't. Thankfully, I felt well enough to go and well enough to enjoy the movie.

It's difficult to come up with ideas for outings that are doable for me. Even for a movie outing I had to take my medication in the middle of the movie and pack a snack to eat immediately afterwards.

We (Mom, Barbara--our neighbor and friend, and myself) went to see Julie and Julia.

Pure delight. I smiled or laughed almost the entire way through the movie.

I can't believe how exciting it was to go to the theater and watch a movie. To top it off I didn't have an ANS storm afterwards.

The last movie I attempted to see in the theaters, other than Under Our Skin earlier this summer, was Finding Nemo. All I can remember was how sick I felt the whole way through, squirming in the seats, trying to recline or put my feet up, feeling a sense of 'air hunger' from trying to sit up so long, and not enjoying the movie because I was so distracted by symptoms. Other than that, the only movies I remember seeing in the theaters since I've been sick are Mulan, Shakespeare in Love and At First Sight. That was a LONG time ago.

Going to the movies was a perfect activity for a hot summer day.

I enjoyed creating a happy memory of going to the movies rather than my old memories of feeling sick the whole way through.

Plus the movie theaters haven't changed that much since before I got sick, so there wasn't anything I had to learn how to do (like using the credit card machine at Target), so I slipped right back into the 'real world' pretty easily.

Other than the fact that I was in my zero-gravity chair, I felt no different than anyone else who was in the mood for a fun, enjoyable, well-acted movie on a hot summer afternoon.

I'm excited to have a new type of outing that I can do now! It's a great thing to have on the list of possibilities--especially because it doesn't require advanced planning.

Blessings,

Emily