Mauston, Wisconsin. I’ve never heard of it. I don’t really care though. They have a Best Western, that has a comfy bed and a hot shower…It feels like heaven.
I finally decided to make some life changes, recently. I have been seeing a doctor in South Dakota once a month since January. He is working on my neck…which is a whole other story that I don’t have time for right now. (Yawns)
It became apparent to me after my second to last trip out there that it’s not feasible to keep traveling from NY to SD once a month, financially or physically. After much thought, I finally talked to my boss, who also happens to be my brother…which is also another story for another time.
We decided it was best if I go out to SD for an extended stay type situation to get more frequent/consistent work done on my neck.
So that’s why I’m here in Mauston, WI. I wanted to write quick before I forgot the nuances of the day.
I left last night, after having run around ALL day like a crazy person getting ready to leave. Last night was TOUGH but I wanted to get a few hours out of the way. I stopped of in Austinburg, OH for the night. I woke up this morning wanting to crawl back in bed…even though I was still in bed…doesn’t make much sense, but I’m sure you know what that’s like. 😉
My eyes were still feeling fatigued from the night before but I realized if I didn’t leave then, I would hit rush-hour in Chicago. So I packed up and hit the road.
ALL morning my eyes just were not wanting to work right and the cognitive fatigue was no joke. But I pushed through and by early afternoon, was feeling pretty good. I was making good time and expected to get to Chicago in plenty of time to miss rush hour.
Wrong. As I started my trek “around” Chicago (after careful study of the map and deciding that was the best route), there was an accident up ahead and there was going to be a 15-mintue delay (15 minutes my backside…was much longer than that). Which in theory, shouldn’t be a big deal.
However, with four lanes of traffic going my direction, four lanes of traffic heading the other way, multiple other highways above and below, TRACTOR TRAILERS EVERYWHERE, cars in a rush whizzing in and out of traffic…needless to say it was a lot. My eyes and brain quickly fatigued and I was in for a miserable hour and 45 minutes. So many times I wanted to pull off and give my eyes/brain a break but there was no where to stop. And they certainly don’t make rest stops near a city like that. So I was stuck. I called a friend and chatted for a distraction…worked great. All I needed to do was to get to the next interstate and I would be out of that horrid traffic and back to my two-lane interstate. I clung to that hope. Until I got to my merge…and then it was ANOTHER 14 miles. Oh heavens. I seriously wanted to cry. Fourteen miles seems like an eternity when your eyes are revolting.
But I pulled up my big girl panties and told myself I didn’t have a choice. I actually did a lot spoken encouragement, was super positive, grateful that I was even able to be driving through/around Chicago on a (halfway) cross country road trip, solo mind you. That’s not true, my pup is with me.
Something that I haven’t experienced a lot of is neck fatigue. Several times, especially during my time around Chicago, my neck felt almost like it couldn’t hold my head up. I think my muscles were so exhausted. I put my hand on my neck with slight pressure and that helped to give my neck a rest.
Once it went back down to two lanes, it was much more manageable. A short time later I pulled off at a rest stop and gave myself a much needed 30-minute nap before continuing on my way.
I was feeling pretty good after that and several hours later, I had about reached my goal for today but wanted to go an extra 77 miles. I was going to and then right before my exit of my “planned” stop, I decided enough was enough and pulled off. And boy am I glad I did. I didn’t realize I needed some down time and once I started relaxing, I tanked pretty quickly.
I grabbed a shower, ate some food and decided to write super quick…there’s no way I would remember much of today if I waited for another time. All my days are running together…My sister asked me where I was earlier, and I honestly didn’t even know what state I was in…haha. Funny how easy it is to lose track of things if you’re not in your routine.
Anyway, this girl is about to fall asleep sitting up and I’m about to start writing incoherent sentences.
I only have 5.5 hours tomorrow…I purposely made today my long day. So glad it’s over.
Having lots of time to think today, it’s so easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day struggles and frustrations. But I’m SO grateful for the huge win today of being able to push through even though I didn’t think I could. I’m grateful for progress. I’m grateful for this opportunity to seek more consistent treatment (at times it’s very frustrating and I feel like I’m HAVING to give up my routine and life I have in NY.) I wrote a post a few weeks ago about “getting” to instead of “having to.” Sometimes I have to remind myself of that concept multiple times a day. Especially on days like today where I had all the colors of emotion, haha.
So I’ll just keep looking forward…A wise person once said, with change comes opportunity. I’m going to try to embrace the change…and who knows, this might be the best decision I’ve made.
- L
