Complications of life

Complications have arisen with my mother’s relocation to Adelaide next month. Mother is elderly, frail and won’t fly. Fair enough. So, relocation by road. She doesn’t drive. That’s what daughters are for. 🙂  Again, fair enough. And it’s very likely that this will be her final trip, so we daughters are more than happy to comply with the request for the Road Trip.And of course, the Sister, being a filmmaker, is using the opportunity to add material to her project. All very good.

My sister is partly disabled and lives with severe, chronic pain. This limits her time sitting in a vehicle (be it a car or a plane). Hence her request for me to join the trip. When my job came up, Sister was happy to continue on organising and assisting Mother. Time has passed, there have been the inevitable delays but now we have definite dates and the house in Adelaide will be clean and ready for Mother & Sister’s occupation in August. I was sadly prepared to drop my participation in the Big Trip in favour of my new job. Now, a complication has arisen.

The Sister’s physical limitations are more severe than first thought. She’s spent some time doing practise driving trips, speaking with her various therapists and doctors. The upshot? The Road Trip goes ahead, as it must. BUT … my presence is now required. I don’t mind. As I said yesterday, it’s a terrific artistic opportunity for various film & writing projects. But now, the pressure’s on me to fly over.

Which all leads to a little re-write on that part of my job application where I declare what holidays & travel I have booked for this year. Tap, tap, tap … a phone call or two … more tap, tap, tap, save. The Tassie trip can be pushed back as late as December if necessary, and the Relocating Mother Road Trip must go ahead in mid-late August. Think I’m pushing my luck with the job? Have a feeling I’ll be relegated to casual pool for the organisation (which is fine and highly acceptable). That’s what I’d do if I were in charge.