Upon working all day and looking forward to pool night, I see my work has arrived in the driveway upon walking up to my home.  This photo consists of diapers, formula, medications, tube feed supplies and two small packages that are Paul’s medicines.  This is a monthly unloading for me.  

I walk inside ready to have my other daughter at my home with my granddaughter.  We are eating and then going to the pool.  It’s a busy night.  When I have my other daughter and my granddaughter in one room it’s an adrenaline overload for me.  This is in a very good way.  I can’t get enough of my children and my family, and Anna keeps me doing acrobatics to make all things work.   

So I walk scurrying about, feed pets, put the oven on for garlic bread to go along with the goulash that I made crockpot style this morning before work.  We need to eat before going to the pool.  Then it’s changing Anna, giving her her daily water and then her meds before the pool.  I get her swim things ready, her bag packed, my bag packed, my swim things, then I’m helping Elsie eat.  I have to situate the dogs, get Anna into the car with all her swim gear and then we can be on our way.    

At the pool it’s chaos too as we change Anna, a wondrous feat in a locker room.  No changing tables for her so I balance her on the wood platform that is supposed to be a bench.  We have to place a poncho over her wheelchair to make sure I can get her out of the pool and back to the locker room without soaking the chair.  Then there’s the life jacket which conveniently gets caught under the wheels as we push the chair out into the pool area.  There are no doors that are handicapped accessible in the locker room so I turn, spin, and push my way around to get out into the pool area.  Then we are “on camera” as the pool patrons stare and stare at this person who is in a wheelchair but apparently going swimming too.  I get it, we are a sight to see!  

Then we hit the lazy river.  Now it’s time to rest.  The water is a dream and the feeling is wonderful.  We float and enjoy the time together.  Anna enjoys her legs moving free, it’s like therapy for her.  She just melts into the pool and the lifejacket and you can see how happy it makes her.   A regular patron is working out with his water weights and he asks, “How the mermaids are doing this evening?”  We smile and reply.  For Warriors not only are there no “Off days,” a regular trip to the pool is a small feat of gymnastics with no balance beam!

I work on all the boxes after the girls are gone, Anna is in bed and I get the supplies put away so I can take the boxes to the curb. And, as always make the choice to be a Warrior.  Job well done.