Pain in Paradise

Looking through the photos and stories on our BLOG about retirement and travel probably makes you think we’ve gone off to paradise. But all is not perfect in paradise. We are still two aging adults with difficult days. They just happen to be half-way around the world from the day-to-day life we used to lead.

Though we portray much joy in photos, we have each had health setbacks while on this European journey. As soon as we got off the cruise ship in April 2025, we were both hit with what cruisers call the “European crud”. Yup congestion, sneezing, and coughing for a week prevented us from jumping into our first town straight away. Where is the pharmacy? How do you say Sudafed in Italian? Additionally, at least one of us got a cold in three other towns we visited, and it was Summer in Paradise!

Now, any traveler will tell you how wonderful the food is in the towns and countries they visit. Heck, food is half the reason Retirement Nomads choose this lifestyle. Who wouldn’t eat the Pasta from Italy, the Pastries from France, the Seafood from Portugal, the Brats from Germany, or the Byrek from Albania? Experiencing the culture by sampling the foods is the best way to understand the people behind the countries. But cultural paradise can be problematic at times. Greg and I each had symptoms of food poisoning in two different towns. I won’t bore you with details, but you cannot go play in paradise when your guts want to stay in the apartment.

As we age in retirement, illness is not the only thing to cramp our style. We don’t heal as well as we used to in our youth. From pulled muscles to back pain, we each needed rest days in our travel. Additionally, we each had a fall in Albania that resulted in open road-rash and prevented us from swimming in the ocean for a few days. After a tooth extraction, I had significant swelling and discomfort for more than two weeks. These periods of pain wouldn’t have changed our daily activities when we were younger. “Get up. Get back to work. Push through the discomfort. Ignore it.” These were the messages our younger selves lived. What happened to THOSE kids of our youth?

And, finally, as I show you a bit of pain in paradise, I must tell you about Greg. He is a Marine and disabled Veteran. He served his country well during the ‘conflicts’ of the 1990’s and it beat up his body. I have much respect for his inner strength as he ignores the daily pains in his feet, knees, hips and back. I might have occasional pain, but he has it daily. Sure, you see pictures of us doing some long walks and occasionally a wild activity, but what you don’t see in our weekly BLOG are the down days. The days we stay in and write, the days I walk to the grocery store alone, or the extra naps he takes to escape the pain. For every big, fun activity like motor scooters and zip lines, we must spend a couple days right afterward absorbing the quiet and rest. Greg needs this time to soothe the aches and pains. He knows his mobility is limited, which is why he agreed to this adventure now before it is too late for him to move at all.

So, friends, family and followers, take a moment right now to reflect on your own health and give yourself a pat on the back for one healthy thing you’re doing, because we all know there are difficult days ahead. Embrace today.