(not necessarily in that order)
This hit home today as we prepare to hit the road tomorrow for Ananda Seattle.
All day I was aware of the many things I needed to do — water the garden; prepare the house; write emails; wrap up loose ends; pack; and get to bed early.
So yeah, stress makes me feel that everything has to get done — like — right now.
Except…it doesn’t really. Inhale. Exhale. Just breathe.
We had a beautiful Easter morning (oh, right — Happy Easter, everyone! 🌷) and a delicious Easter lunch with friends afterwards.
But the main focus of the day has been packing, packing, and more packing!
Making progress but still have a ways to go before I can hit the sack.
We leave first thing tomorrow morning, so it’s definitely down-to-the-wire time!
Last night at this time we were soaring in the afterglow of the Oratorio.
Today was back to earth time, but with a pretty bumpy landing.
The fact is that — despite being totally excited to go — I’ve been struggling with the reality of packing for our trip to Europe.
It’s overwhelming for several reasons. The first and most obvious is the short amount of time between finishing the Oratorio and leaving (two days!).
There’s also the fact that we haven’t traveled internationally in almost four years, so all the prep is feeling sort of strange and unfamiliar.
Finally, we need to leave the apartment in decent shape because a friend from Ananda India will be staying here while we’re away.
So, yeah. I’m feeling a little stressed.
I’ve been packing pretty much all day and am now officially out of steam.
There’s still more to do but it’s going to have to wait until the morning.
It’s actually a little sad to be leaving this space that has sheltered and nurtured us throughout this long and rather intense experience.
Feeling very grateful.
We felt like we were packing up our entire house this morning, but it mostly looked like so much because our apartment is small.
We arrived in time to unload the car and grab a quick bit to eat, then it was over to the medical center for lab work, a COVID test, and an educational meeting in the main hospital with a CTU (Cellular Therapy Unit) nurse to learn the nitty gritty details of the transplant process.
And so begins the next phase of the adventure!
There’s still an awful lot to do before we depart on Wednesday, but I feel good about the progress I made last night and today.
Most of our indoor plants have been relocated. I have a plan for the outdoor plants. Three out of four loads of laundry are done. The house is clean. I have a home exercise program created by my friend, Satyana, so I can focus on gently rebuilding strength throughout the recovery process.
And I’ve got a growing list of items I don’t want to forget when I do my real packing tomorrow!
Packing for five days away and driving all day to get here has left me pretty much done in.
Don’t get me wrong: it was a smooth trip and we actually enjoyed being “on the road again…”
I’m just out of practice is all.
Tomorrow we head out into the big wide world for the first time since well before the pandemic hit. And I have to admit that it feels pretty darn strange.
It’s only for a few days and Lord knows we’re ready! And yet…there is a certain ambivalence.
Not to mention packing…! I’m hoping it all comes back to me, like riding a bicycle. 😂