I had to get out of the motel today. It’s a Comfort Inn and lives up to its name. The 24-hour-a-day free coffee is good, the popcorn is fresh every evening, and the continental breakfast is decent. The exercise room has a treadmill I’ve been using twice a day. The place is 85 degrees and humid since the whirlpool is in the same location which lends a sauna quality to my walks, but I digress.
No matter how comfortable our Comfort Inn has been, I had to get out of there today. The walls were closing in on me. My sauna self-torture on the treadmill justified spending the morning at Panera’s and splurging on a gingerbread bagel (absolutely yummy) to go with my coffee. The first thing I did at my table was spill my coffee on the floor. Seems I’m not as good as I thought I was at juggling a computer, camera, purse and food tray while threading my way between crowded tables. But no one got wet, and those Panera people are darned cheerful about cleaning up messes.
So today I want to plug Panera’s. In the last week, we’ve visited several, partly because they have healthy food (including vegan entrees for our fasting son) and good coffee and partly because they have free Wi-Fi. When I walked in today and saw the Tuscan colors and warm atmosphere, I relaxed immediately and realized Panera’s provides something I need as much as food and Wi-Fi – a sense of home and normalcy.
People sometimes rail against the “homogenizing of America,” but today I’m grateful for the sameness. And I think Allen is, too. He’s exploring uncharted territory on a daily basis and a small sameness of place has been a life raft for him more than once in the past week. Today he gritted his teeth and entered the clinic, determined to continue his difficult journey. God alone knows where he’ll go today and how much energy he’ll expend along the way.
This afternoon, when his treatment is done, we’ll go back the motel. I’ll do the sauna/treadmill/torture routine. But not Allen. He’ll listen to jazz and email friends, rest and heal, and acquaint himself with the new person he’s become. And we’ll eat supper in familiar territory, maybe at Panera’s, and dream of home.
