Saturday, August 15, 2015

Getting through the chaos

Today’s coffee… wasn’t adequate… so sleepy… I need another one…

It’s been awhile. I’m sitting in a hammock chair on my parents’ deck. This is rather surreal. I still don’t have a drink-coffee-while-writing place here; I think Starbucks is closest, but it takes about twenty minutes to walk there from here. I’m too lazy to move at the moment.

Things are finally starting to calm down after about two months of constant motion. Here are some stats, since June 30:
  • 3 countries (or 4, if you count layovers)
  • 5 US states
  • 9 planes (Keith: “I’d like to go for a week without getting on a plane.”)
  • 3 conferences/workshops
  • 5 suitcases+2 backpacks+1 cello+1 shamisen (and a bunch of boxes shipped, but I don’t remember how many)
  • 10 beds
Also: 1 lost debit card, 1 expired passport with delays in the renewal process, 2 illnesses, 1 failed attempt to climb Mt. Fuji due to the previously mentioned illnesses (although the weather was great), 2 typhoons in our flight paths… and a bunch of other stuff too. The little stuff really adds up.

We’ve been through lots of transitions already, and we were thoroughly prepped for this one through the Pre Home Assignment Workshop we did in January, but simply knowing that “chaos” is part of the process does little to alleviate the pain and exhaustion that go with that stage of transition.

But we are still alive. We made it through.

I’m quite happy at the moment to be sitting on the deck of my parents’ house. I don’t want to go anywhere or do anything, really. That’s not to say I haven’t been getting stuff done. There’s a huge amount of catching up to do after the two months of chaos from which we have just emerged.

I’m thankful for signs that things are beginning to return to a new sort of “normal.” Yesterday I had my first tea ceremony class from my new teacher here in Seattle. Then I came home to find my parents and Keith around the table with some family friends. Then my childhood friend, Andrea came over to make tamales with me! (Tamale post coming soon!) Things are definitely looking up.

Note: Now that we’re settled, I’ll plan to resume posting on (most) weekends.

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