These Are the Days, Summer 2018

These are the days of…

…new beginnings.

…first days of school for all of us.

…walkability. I can walk to grocery stores and schools and if I’m feeling brave and not too hot, restaurants and hardware stores and book shops. It makes not having a vehicle not mean feeling stuck.

…exercise at home. A floor mat and indoor bike have become my gym at home. I don’t think I’d ever exercise if I had to find childcare and get to a gym.

…slowing down. Boiling water on the stove instead of using an electric kettle. Hanging out laundry instead of loading up a dryer. Walking to the store instead of hopping in my car. The pace here is different as it tends to be determined by my own hands and feet and not machines. Overall, I’m finding the rhythm of waiting for water to boil and clothes to dry a kind reminder to walk without hurry through this life.

…missing home. That pure adrenaline that got me through the first few months, making dozens and sometimes hundreds of decisions every day, all that newness is wearing off a bit. I miss the people I know. I miss knowing that Andy’s slightly snarky comment was a joke as I wonder about the new senses of humor around me. I miss the people who know me. I miss the home that is the nest of relationships I left behind.

…scary, one-eyed cats in my tiled backyard. I’m seriously stuck back here, a cat staring me down. Send reinforcements!