Withdrawal from Klonopin, Day 7

The swimming I did yesterday made me tired enough to get almost 3 hours sleep last night.  Believe it or not, that is an improvement.  Bree and I spent several hours at the retirement home making others happy.  It truly lifts my spirits, when a frail, elderly gentleman asleep in his bed, jumps up when he heard Bree walk in, and called her up to sit on his bed. (He's a brave man.  Bree is a big Malamute at almost 97 pounds.  She licked his face, and he laughed in joy.   My problems disappeared.  The residents at this home love our visits, and are so appreciative and sweet.  Bree never fails to elicit a smile from everyone there, including docs and staff.  We were both exhausted when we returned home.  That is a good thing.  Tonight, I go down one more milligram in my Klonopin dosage.  This worries me.  I'm trying hard not to concentrate on my inability to sleep, by blogging, and reading.  I expect tomorrow will be somewhat of a challenge.  Unfortunately, it is down to 10 degrees tonight, and unless it gets up to at least 18, I can't ride.  As we are expecting two feet of snow tomorrow night and Wednesday, I think it is imperative for me to get out of the house...so if not the barn...the pool at the gym.  There is something about swimming...counting laps...working hard, that is almost meditative in nature.  I feel a lightness of being, and I swim hard and fast. (I swam competitively throughout my life, and was on the Varsity swim team at Indiana University/Bloomington)  I also coached swimming for more than 28 years, so it is an activity that comes as naturally to me as walking.  There is comfort in the silence and the coolness of the water...the familiar smells.  I generally have almost the whole pool to myself.  Anyway, that is my strategy for tomorrow.  If I become snowed in on Wednesday, my plan is a romp in the snow with Bree, and starting a new book:  The Tao of Equus.  In many ways, I feel responsible for allowing myself to be placed on this horrible drug.  I should have researched it first.  Now I know just how much you can trust a Psychiatrist to look out for your best interests.  However, I am DETERMINED to not allow this thing to bring me down.  I am stronger than that.  I guess sometimes it comes down to :Patient, Heal Thyself.