Taking a Road Trip to the Atlantic Coast

My husband is heading out on an impromptu business trip. Coincidentally, his destination is just minutes from one of our favorite vacation spots. I could easily stay home, but I’ve decided to accompany him.

He’ll be training a new hire. After that, we’ll leave one of his company vehicles behind with the new employee. To return home, he could take a train, then a bus, and finally find an Uber or call me to pick him up at the bus station. But I offered to drive a second vehicle, which we’ll return home in.

In many ways, staying home would be easier on me. I’ve referred in a previous column to the amount of consideration that goes into even visiting family at the holidays. Yet, I didn’t want to stay behind for a number of reasons.

Having a second vehicle to drive straight home will be easier on him. Going along also is a way for us to have a few days away together. We’re heading to the New Jersey shore, an area I always love regardless of the time of year.

In many ways, I prefer visiting the shore in winter. It’s a quiet time in that area, and I relish the peace and tranquility. There is also something about seeing the ocean that always helps to rejuvenate me.

Years ago, when I first received my sarcoidosis diagnosis, I asked doctors the typical questions. Mostly, I was interested in what causes this condition.

One doctor informed me that sarcoidosis could be related to evergreen trees. Interestingly enough, we bought a house and moved to Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains months after we got married. We had been living in that area for over a year when I started to exhibit symptoms.

I often wonder if I would have gotten sarcoidosis if we had not moved. Was it caused by all those trees surrounding our home? Was there a fungus or an irritant in the area that brought on these challenges?

In some ways, I feel better when we visit the coast of New Jersey. People attribute this simply to being on vacation, but the reality is that my husband’s business travels with us. So in many ways, we don’t leave the stresses of home behind.

I also have had seasonal allergies attacks at times while there. This is especially true mid-May, when suddenly everything is in bloom overnight.

My point is that I’m not convinced that moving to another area is the answer for sarcoidosis, at least not now. But I certainly do enjoy visiting while I can.

Visiting the Jersey coast. (Photo by Kate Spencer)

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