The privilege of planning...with lupus

Bernadette can swim! Of course, she needs a little help from her mom, but she's officially been inducted into the world of hotel pools and spas. Her first real dip, and she loved it. See the little guppie pictured at the right.

The four Gormans took a little trip to a local hotel this past weekend - enjoying the pool, the yummy room service, and the spacious accommodations (yes, even with two cribs, there were nooks for all of us to sleep soundly!). We had a blast - and we can't wait for our next little get-away at the end of April. Fluffy hotel robes, here we come!

We planned the trip a few months back - knowing that mid-February, we'd want to get away for a couple of days. Johnny put the whole thing together - picking the hotel, organizing the details, reminding us to bring our swim suits - but he had my blessing. Who doesn't want to get away in the middle of winter?

In planning the trip, I was reminded that, years ago, I wouldn't have been able to plan a trip that far in advance. Back then, there were no guarantees as to how I was going to feel one month to the next - and planning a get-away like that would have been futile. I was still working then, and didn't have the "living well" routine down yet - so I was usually pretty spent at least one or two weekends a month.

I didn't understand that napping regularly or going to bed on time during the week paved the way for good weekends. Back then, my strategy was to go, go, go during the week, and pay for it on the weekends. But how is that really living well? Why should we have to pay for anything? Why not just be a bit more strategic during the week, so that you never have to catch up...ever? Living well is, no doubt, a cumulative thing - building up your strength daily, warding off fatigue when you have the chance, and allowing your body to recoup when it needs to, rather than waiting until you can find the time in your busy schedule to do so - that's how it happens. Living well is not an every-other-weekend kind of a thing. Trust me. I've tried it, and it doesn't work.

Today - I couldn't be more thankful that those days of questionable health and wellness are in the past. But I haven't forgotten what it was like when I had to work around my "good" days. We actually got pretty good at being spontaneous, which is what you have to do when lupus or another chronic illness is afoot.

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In fact, I found spontaneity to be an essential part of living well. Emotionally - it does wonders, reminding you that you can have a life, it just has to be a little, well, spontaneous. And physically, it let's you do things when you can, and encourages you to rest when you should. If planning is out of the question, master the art of spontaneity. It's a must!

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Be sure to check back on Friday for a few tips on how to work spontaneity (and the concept of contingency) into your lifestyle - and a big thank you to Catherine for mentioning the subject a few days ago. You inspired me to "spontaneously" write this post - so thank you!