I’ve been on tour. Actually, we’ve been on tour, and I’ve been joking that we need band shirts.
Some of my fellow team members and friends at the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan have been traveling throughout Northern Michigan. As a team member and as an explorer, this trip was invigorating. We accomplished quite a bit.
We showed the incredible film Under the Lights twice, both in Marquette and Traverse City. This film tells the story of Sam, a teenager living with epilepsy who wants so desperately to go to prom with the rest of his peers, even though the lights are likely to make him have a seizure. There’s also a powerful dementia story that goes along with Sam’s narrative as he and his close friend learn more of who they are and how to care for one another.
We also offered a Seizure Recognition and First Aid training in Marquette. And then I ventured off into the Keweenaw Peninsula, which is the pinky of the Upper Peninsula on the Michigan hand map. I traveled up to Houghton, Hancock, and beyond, and then traveled back to Traverse City where we held our final event.
All in all, we visited two universities, one Student Disability Services office, one community mental health organization, one law enforcement academy, one community resource center and food pantry, one faith community, one health department, and six health clinics and hospitals. We were also on the news twice.
That was quite an adventure.
On top of it all, it was absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love with the northernmost parts of Michigan, some of which were uncharted to me. And the Great Lakes will never cease to utterly amaze me.
I should also say it was a ton of driving, especially over the weekend. I ventured back to my home in Southeast Michigan on Sunday night. And after all of it, all of the adventure that I cherished, I felt such a deep sense of relief and relaxation to be home.It’s amazing what a house and a home can do when you’ve been away for a while. I felt instantly rejuvenated just being back in my own space.
I was glad I went away. I was also glad I came home.
How have you been appreciating home lately?
I know not all aspects are easy. There are grumbles with family members. There are shelves that have gone undusted. There’s food to prepare and routines that become utterly mundane. But have you let yourself be thankful for those lately?
It’s amazing how our bodies need a sense of rhythm. I think that’s a sense of home, too — not just place or people, but practices, routines, daily actions. I know I feel appreciative.
Maybe find a way to pat your house, or your pet, or yourself after dusting, on the head and say, “Good job. Thanks for taking care of me.” Home sweet home.
—Renee Roederer
