I have been at home (aka my parents' house) for about six days now. My flight left the UK just in time – narrowly missing snowstorms on both sides of the Atlantic. A few days on either side and I wouldn't have made it. And apart from spending 24 hours awake straight on Christmas Eve, and dealing with the very cold temperature my parents tend keep the house, it's been really nice to be here.
I am learning very quickly how to keep a good fire going in the wood burning stove (my Dad prefers the burning of wood over oil any day).
For the first time since I can remember, I am home for two straight weeks and am not making myself crazy by running around to see everyone. It helps that there will be pre-wedding-related activities where I will see many of my friends. But I am consciously trying to create more down time and space for myself to actually relax. This isn't easy and can make me uncomfortable – I thrive on being busy, socializing and getting things done.
So I am trying to relish the more leisurely pace. I'm staying out of New York City more than usual while I'm here, and instead curling up in front of the fire with a book (or my net book like right now!).
It's not often in our lives that we can actually come home and our meals get made for us by Dad and we get chauffeured around by Mom to CVS (chemist) to get toiletries we didn't bother filling up on pre-trip. I don't have to buy groceries here or make my own bed. What a luxury. And it's also one of those rare moments in time where everyone is healthy (ish) and relatively well and the family is full of excitement about the trip over to London for the upcoming wedding. Boy, am I grateful. And aware that I must savor it, for life is a continuous cycle of ups and downs and nothing stays constant for long.
Don't let these rare kinds of moments pass you by.
Related Posts:
*I recently actually bought two pairs of skinny jeans. I'm just embracing them – and hoping I look slightly OK.**Although I'm really enjoying this holiday I have had to do A LOT of physio exercises post flight. Staying up for 24 hours straight in one day really killed me – everything ached but I think I've finally pulled all the tight muscles out.
***Woke up last night at 3 a.m. starving – some sort of jet-lag related hunger I think. But three Triscuits (one of my favorites) from the kitchen did the trick.
No comments