Sundays at the Musick Household are usually known as The Day of Rest for all three of us as it gives us a chance to unwind from the daily grind of a busy stressful week Whether it's my Dad needing to unwind from a busy week at The Office or my Mom needing a break from her daily caregiving duties for my needs, Sundays are a time when we come hang up the virtual 'Do Not Disturb' sign, get together and relax to spend some quality time alone as a family and recharge our batteries.
The first part of that Sunday relaxation ritual consists of a leisurely walk and roll between me and my Mom. I say walk and roll because while my Mom does the actual walking, I go out in my wheelchair to face the elements of a hot sunny day or a cold and windy one.
We are fortunate enough to live in an area that has a walking trail outside directly behind our backyard wall. This way, we already know there is a great place for us to walk that is within walking distance from our house and we don't have to get into our van to drive to it.
Once my Mom and I make our way outside, we use this time to greet our other fellow joggers and friends on the trail. We do have to be careful though when leaving our house that we don't get hit by any cars since we live on a busy street. We also make sure that we are fully equipped with the appropriate pieces of clothing depending on what the weather is like when we get up in the morning. If it's a hot a sunny day, I usually have to put a hat on to protect my head and eyes from the bright sunshine. On the cooler days and months, I usually have to wear a jacket and a pair of gloves to keep my hands warm.
The length of the walking trail is about one and three-quarters of a mile and starts at Buena Vista Street at one end of the trail and finishes at Royal Oaks Park at the other end. As I mentioned above, going out on the trail is a great opportunity for my Mom and I to go out and just simply get some exercise, socialize with the other people out there and enjoy some fresh air. My Dad also uses this time that my Mom and I spend on the walking trail to cook breakfast for both him and her and then to get my weekly lunch of chicken nuggets that he wrote about in a previous edition of Caregiver Chronicles.
After my Mom and I finish up our walk on Sundays and after we have our breakfast and lunch, the next part of our family's Day of Rest routine involves a usually smooth transition to our outdoor patio in our backyard. I say usually smooth because sometimes during the Fall and Winter months, we do get some rainy and stormy weather that pops up every now and then which forces us to enjoy our time and make the most of our Sundays from the comfort found inside our house in the den area known as the Family Room.
On those days when we do get to enjoy our Sunday family time outdoors, (which is most of the time), we have our fun by taking my iPod Classic for musical entertainment and background noise purposes. Fairly recently as well, my Dad and I have been taking a small collection of board and card games such as Sorry!, Checkers or Uno to keep the good times going and keep ourselves even more occupied and busy on a Sunday morning/afternoon.
Another staple of the Musick Family Sunday Day of Rest are the multiple round of drinks that my Mom and Dad have either from a selection of one of our famous Cocktail Hour recipes or sometimes it's simply just a glass or bottle of beer or wine. During the cool Fall or Winter months, my Dad will also use this time on the backyard patio to light a fire in our outdoor wood burning chimney to keep us all warm and toasty.
Finally the last part of the Day of Rest for us Musicks' involves my Dad continuing to take his weekly turn of being in charge cooking a dinner selection of some sort either on the grill outside in the backyard or the stove inside the kitchen of our house.
After we finish our Sunday dinner, we wind down the end our week with some very nice and well earned relaxation time in the Family Room watching TV from the comfort of our nice leather recliners we affectionately like to call "The Cloud." The only bad thing about enjoying our Day of Rest is knowing they all have to come to an end. That is until the next rolls around and we can begin to look forward to the next one and let the Sunday rest and relaxation cycle begin again.
Tim Musick
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