It’s been 10-years ago today that I moved into my lovely little duplex, calico kitty in tow. We would begin life over together, just the two of us. Though she was losing her cherished fenced patio I was gaining freedom from a painful relationship, one that should have ended long before. I took a week off from work to allow both of us to acclimatize to our new environment and to make sure she felt safe, that we were home.
During the time I’ve lived here I’ve written and published two books, the first a year after my sweet calico died, called It Takes A Cat (to heal a woman’s wounded heart). The second, Before the Bow Breaks, was written after my oldest daughter passed. In the summer of 2021, I began writing a blog about my journey into retirement which, as you know, is called My Final Lap.
I’ve been happy in my pleasant little refuge. Here, my youngest grandsons have had freedom to be themselves as they’ve grown from toddlers to Junior High and High Schoolers. It’s been my freedom, too, to grow without disapproval into who I am today. My friendships have held and blossomed while new friendships have sprung up as well. My family is close by, and we all like each other. I’m on good terms with both my daughter-in-law and son-in-law. My landlord watches out for me.
Now that I’ve hopscotched my way to 10, what comes next? I feel my footprints moving forward even though in some ways my future is uncertain –I’m growing older; my bid for senior housing remains unresolved. It feels a little like being in suspended animation except I am, contrarily, awake and active –I’m not burrowing into a mountainside to hibernate. Quite the opposite, I’m fully engaged in life, embracing new skills, leaning into new ideas, entertaining fresh possibilities. My heart still surges with delight when I’m fortunate enough to find myself enveloped by the natural world.
Tonight, my two youngest grandsons will come to stay with me for the next four days. (Their parents are on a mini cruise.) They are excited and so am I. We are comfortable together, not always having to talk or engage in some form of entertainment though we always end up finding things to do together. I will savor their visit because they are growing up so fast and will move into adulthood before any of us has a chance to catch our breath.
Thankfully, though, tonight I’ll drive the ½ mile to their house and they’ll load backpacks into my car then ride their bikes to my house. We’ll make dinner together and settle in early because they still have school tomorrow. Then it’s the weekend plus a holiday on Monday.
Just . . . slow down, time.
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