Going home
October 1, 2020
The record-breaking heat of Arizona convinced me to come to Chicago, anticipating a two- week stay which morphed to almost twelve. The remarkably pleasant weather was a bonus, allowing all of us freedom to be outdoors, visit patio restaurants and bars (with masks and distancing, of course), and reconnect with friends and family. It is now October, and seasonal changes are evident as Chicago chills and Arizona cools somewhat. It is time to go home.
Mike came to Chicago to assist YD and her partner-with-not-yet-chosen-moniker (PWNYCM) with renovations in their new condo. He has kept busy with tasks from screwing in light bulbs to renovating a mudroom. Me, I have kept busy finding myself. I had set up a “she-shed” in an alcove by the garden-level window in the basement. In this cosy niche I sewed quilt squares and mended clothes for YD, I arranged and recorded music for virtual church, I conducted live and virtual piano lessons, and I wrote. When needing a break, I retired to the easy chair to read or listen to podcasts. The back deck offered space for most of the above while getting to know the other residents. The neighborhood provided beautiful sites to enjoy while walking. Physical Therapy was conveniently located across the street. And to be useful, I cooked a few meals.
For approximately three weeks, I was single when Mike returned to Arizona to attend to tasks there. This was certainly not the first time apart. Mike traveled often when the kids were young. The difference was that there were kids involved so I was not alone.
Here is what I discovered:
“. . . [I’m okay alone. I don’t always want to answer a question about why I’m coughing if I’m coughing. I like falling into Return to a Place Lit by a Glass of Milk without being asked what am I reading. I appreciate not being interrupted in the middle of thinking about nothing. . . I like cooking or not, making the bed or not, weeding or not. Watching movies until three A.M. and no one the wiser. Watching movies on a spring day and no one the wiser. To say nothing of the naps.”
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