Slow but Sure

After three nights at, our friend and neighbor, Susie’s house we were able to unload our things in our own home. In some ways it felt totally familiar, and in other ways it was all so new. My first thought upon entering the front door was, “wow, with everything cleared out, these walls look pretty shabby.” First on the list, paint the living/dining room before we refinish the wood floors (already scheduled for July). Plan for preparation of walls for all of the art we brought home. Check.

The previous day I had bought a new smart phone (my first!) but Andy was going to hold on to his flip phone until he decided what kind of “upgrade” he wanted, so he went in search of his phone and charger among the storage. Just so you know, this was Andy’s original cellphone, the first one he ever had – it’s almost 10 years old. He flipped it open and damn if it wasn’t still charged at 75%! Seriously. It’s the Energizer Bunny of phones. We are both now accessible by phone. Check.

While we were gone, we had essentially used our new bedroom suite as a storage unit. After unloading our luggage, we set upon clearing out the bedroom so that we might sleep in it tonight. Four chairs and one dining room table into the garage. Check. One guest room bed frame, che……. Not so fast, Ann’s back. I had been waking up with a stiff back, but no pain to speak of, for three or four nights, but one awkward lift of a bed frame and I was down for the count. SOOO FRUSTRATING!!

After an initial meltdown, I thought about the lessons I wanted to bring home with me from my sabbatical. Probably the number one change I want to make in my life is to slow down and manage my stress better. I took ibuprofen, put some ice on my back, and took a deep breath. I sat and watched while Andy opened the three paintings we had shipped home. One of our cats, Margaret, stuck her head out for the first time to investigate. No worries.

One of our paintings with other Australia memorabilia