Toting as many bags and items from my car as I possibly could, I unlocked the door to my condo last night and stepped into a place I had not seen for a few months. The crisscrossing vacuum tracks on the carpet and the crisp edge to the air told me that my roommate Heather had thoroughly cleaned the place before departing on her vacation. The place seemed welcoming but vacant, as it was.
I wasn't too productive last night and ended up inviting a friend over to watch a movie. I was exhausted from traveling and told myself I would unpack in the morning. Plus, without anyone in the place, I knew having someone come over would help me transition back to my Colorado Springs world.
This morning dawned with cloudy skies and a coolness I have not experienced for some time. I felt invigorated and immediately went about my day, brewing some thick coffee to add a little kick to my step. After reading for a bit, I tore into the huge stack of mail that had accumulated while I was away (sadly, only two or three pieces were of a personal nature). That alone took a significant chunk of time. I then turned my attention to a million little things...paid a bill, wrote an email, made a phone call, checked on this, checked on that...and thus accomplished a copious number of mundane but necessary tasks.
Through this all, I have been thinking about how surreal life in transition is. Of course, this is nothing new and I am reminded of my mother's famous 24-hour theory. She always says it takes at least 24 hours after a vacation or any significant event to feel like things are back to "normal". This theory of hers also contains some addendems such as her suggestion that if one travels across time zones, it may take 24 hours per time zone to recover. She always refers to her theories with a slight tongue-in-cheek approach, but I think there's definitely truth to this theory. I'm claiming it because I'm feeling the 24-hour funk.
I just bought a bunch of fruits and veggies at the store that I'm going to spend some time washing, chopping, etc. That will be a good, mindless activity for me. Oh, and I just heard the rumble of some thunder. Ahhh. Love it. Maybe I can read a bit later to the sound of rain. That sounds fantastic! The perfect way to spend such a day.
Yours truly from the 24-hour recovery zone,
Jessica
3 comments:
"Do not, by hanging down, break from the hand which, as it riseth, raiseth thee."
Words by George Herbert. Who is this anonymous poster?
Home as it should be--a respite from the challenging world.
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