This day has felt interminable.
It's our slowest season right now, and the workload today reflected that.
It didn't help that my mind is a thousand other places, focusing on everything that must be accomplished in the next 24 hours.
I think there's about half an hour left in the work day. Half an hour that needs to be filled.
And then, on into the crazyness the weekend promises to hold.
Like I said this morning, the panic (for the moment at least - please keep praying!) seems to have receded, and in it's place is the simple awareness of the many, many things that need to be accomplished in a short span of time, and the desire for those things to go smoothly, without too many hitches, thus allowing my stress level to slowly begin to recede.
I'll see you on the flip side!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Purging
We moved another large load of belongings last night.
I'd read this blog post earlier in the day, and, in combination with things I was already thinking about, as I moved items from the basement of our current home, to the living room of our new home, I stared at the piles of belongings and made a decision. I informed my roommate that I was going to unpack a bit more slowly this time, and really go through the things in the boxes.
I'm feeling a need to purge. To simplify. To create space and newness.
There are things I've rarely used, and I think I'm ready to let some of them go finally. Some of them have moved twice or three times with me, and hardly been touched in between the moves.
There are things that are old friends. Books and such like. Those won't be purged, but will be handled lovingly. The many, many "reminder" stones that have rested on my various shelves won't be purged either, but carefully displayed in a way that they do indeed serve their purposes.
But there are definitely other things that can go.
Because of the health problems I've had this year, I've lost a significant amount of weight. I want badly to go through my closet and purge the items I rarely wear, or the items that just don't quite fit. L and I talked yesterday about considering the questions (for those items that are perhaps slightly too large now) "would I wear this if it fit?" or "do I love this?" If the answer is yes, then I'll keep the item, and possibly even see if I can get it altered. If the answer is no, it's going to the thrift store for someone else to enjoy.
There are clothes, too, that I've kept for a specific purpose. "I wear that camping." Let's talk about the fact that I haven't been camping in at least five years. Or that I generally hate camping - it wouldn't be my idea of a good time. Or that I have absolutely no plans to be anywhere that will require me to sleep on the ground in a tent anytime in the next year either. I think that "camping" clothing can probably go.
I think it likely that for a while, our living room will have piles for the garbage, for recycling, and for transport to goodwill.
My bedroom is probably 90% packed.
When I get home tonight, before heading over to my parents' house for my dad's birthday celebrations, the plan is to pack an overnight bag. This is key to my survival for the next few days. There are a few items (some medications, a piece of jewelry I wear almost daily, and value highly, my journal, Nellie the bear, and others) that I absolutely must be able to locate tomorrow night to be comfortable and to rest in our new home.
After the birthday party, we need to pack our kitchen. Friends and family will start arriving to help us move the last boxes and belongings around 9:30 tomorrow morning. I'm hoping that the moving of belongings will be done by around 2:00 tomorrow afternoon, giving me several hours to do some basic unpacking and settling in before I head out to church.
The blog will likely be quite a bit quieter than normal until after July 1st. Once we've moved, I won't have internet access in my house until late in the day on the 1st. I may try to schedule some posts to go up on the days when I won't have access, but it all depends on how busy my day today is. I may also be paying visits to Starbucks in the evenings once or twice, to access email and so forth there.
Thankfully, I managed to sleep for several hours last night, relatively peacefully. I'm not feeling the panic I was feeling about all of this earlier in the week, just the pressing knowledge of much to do. And I really can't explain just how much of a relief that that shift is. Thank you to those who've been praying this week. It's helping.
And now, on into the day...
I'd read this blog post earlier in the day, and, in combination with things I was already thinking about, as I moved items from the basement of our current home, to the living room of our new home, I stared at the piles of belongings and made a decision. I informed my roommate that I was going to unpack a bit more slowly this time, and really go through the things in the boxes.
I'm feeling a need to purge. To simplify. To create space and newness.
There are things I've rarely used, and I think I'm ready to let some of them go finally. Some of them have moved twice or three times with me, and hardly been touched in between the moves.
There are things that are old friends. Books and such like. Those won't be purged, but will be handled lovingly. The many, many "reminder" stones that have rested on my various shelves won't be purged either, but carefully displayed in a way that they do indeed serve their purposes.
But there are definitely other things that can go.
Because of the health problems I've had this year, I've lost a significant amount of weight. I want badly to go through my closet and purge the items I rarely wear, or the items that just don't quite fit. L and I talked yesterday about considering the questions (for those items that are perhaps slightly too large now) "would I wear this if it fit?" or "do I love this?" If the answer is yes, then I'll keep the item, and possibly even see if I can get it altered. If the answer is no, it's going to the thrift store for someone else to enjoy.
There are clothes, too, that I've kept for a specific purpose. "I wear that camping." Let's talk about the fact that I haven't been camping in at least five years. Or that I generally hate camping - it wouldn't be my idea of a good time. Or that I have absolutely no plans to be anywhere that will require me to sleep on the ground in a tent anytime in the next year either. I think that "camping" clothing can probably go.
I think it likely that for a while, our living room will have piles for the garbage, for recycling, and for transport to goodwill.
My bedroom is probably 90% packed.
When I get home tonight, before heading over to my parents' house for my dad's birthday celebrations, the plan is to pack an overnight bag. This is key to my survival for the next few days. There are a few items (some medications, a piece of jewelry I wear almost daily, and value highly, my journal, Nellie the bear, and others) that I absolutely must be able to locate tomorrow night to be comfortable and to rest in our new home.
After the birthday party, we need to pack our kitchen. Friends and family will start arriving to help us move the last boxes and belongings around 9:30 tomorrow morning. I'm hoping that the moving of belongings will be done by around 2:00 tomorrow afternoon, giving me several hours to do some basic unpacking and settling in before I head out to church.
The blog will likely be quite a bit quieter than normal until after July 1st. Once we've moved, I won't have internet access in my house until late in the day on the 1st. I may try to schedule some posts to go up on the days when I won't have access, but it all depends on how busy my day today is. I may also be paying visits to Starbucks in the evenings once or twice, to access email and so forth there.
Thankfully, I managed to sleep for several hours last night, relatively peacefully. I'm not feeling the panic I was feeling about all of this earlier in the week, just the pressing knowledge of much to do. And I really can't explain just how much of a relief that that shift is. Thank you to those who've been praying this week. It's helping.
And now, on into the day...
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Slightly smooth...
I'm feeling likes things are a bit smoother right now.
After the latest trip to the new place, I'm feeling much calmer about the move - like it's far more in hand than I thought.
A shower helped, and plugging in my noise cancellation headphones and curling up on the couch with my laptop, some emails, a game, and a few episodes of M*A*S*H*.
And, I did decide to go with my dad to the airport a bit later tonight to pick up my brother. I'm needing that normalcy still.
Then, hopefully, a restful night of sleep for a change, and on into the rest of the days in my crazy schedule to come.
After the latest trip to the new place, I'm feeling much calmer about the move - like it's far more in hand than I thought.
A shower helped, and plugging in my noise cancellation headphones and curling up on the couch with my laptop, some emails, a game, and a few episodes of M*A*S*H*.
And, I did decide to go with my dad to the airport a bit later tonight to pick up my brother. I'm needing that normalcy still.
Then, hopefully, a restful night of sleep for a change, and on into the rest of the days in my crazy schedule to come.
Whirlwind
I feel like I'm living a bit in the midst of a whirlwind of change, and movement and transition just at the moment, and that's not something I'm coping with well. This is the ugly side of me. I'm working on it, and I'm better than I used to be (those of you who've seen or talked with me this week are wondering now how bad it used to be!). I know in my head that all of these things are well in hand. That we're organized, and that the move will likely go smoothly. My head is having a great deal of trouble convincing the rest of me, and I'm living in a massively speeded up world because of it.
But, just to give you a glimpse, here's some of what I've got going on for the next week and a bit:
First, because we have an out of province person in to do some work with our accounting department at work this week, I've been mostly covering my own lunch hours. Which means I'm not really getting a break in the middle of the day. No chat with a good friend who usually shares the lunch coverage of the phones with me. No relocating to her office for half of the lunch hour. And just a few frantic trips out to pick up something to eat, in 15 minutes or less so that I can get back to covering the phones.
Tonight my mom is coming over and we're taking another load (two vehicles full this time) of belongings to our new apartment. Then I'll likely come home and do a bit more packing, and carrying things that will need to be moved up from the basement.
Quite late tonight my brother and his girlfriend arrive home from a trip to visit her family. I don't have to go to the airport, but I think I may join my dad to pick them up, as I could desperately use a bit of a normalcy break. I'd like to do something, even just for a little bit, that doesn't revolve around packing and moving and transitioning.
Tomorow night is my dad's birthday dinner. So I'll be there, and then I'll be back at my current house, boxing the things in our kitchen so that we're ready for the major move on Saturday.
Saturday is the big move. If it's done in time, I'm desperately hoping to go to church. I'm longing to be around other believers.
Sunday I'm going someplace, at least for a few hours, by myself, to have a conversation with God, and get the divorce that I mentioned earlier this week. I'm actually hoping that the move will have gone very smoothly, and I'll be able to take most of the day for this. I'm not sure right now, given how the last few days have gone, how my panic levels and energy levels have been, that I'll be up to going to the spot I'd really like to, but I'm hoping for that.
Monday will bring the return of work, and in the evening settling in to our new house.
Tuesday will look pretty much like Monday.
Wednesday I'm off work for Canada Day. I have an installer coming sometime between 8 and 10 in the morning (who I have to refuse at the door - LONG STORY) to solve our internet and telephone and television issues. That day will also likely see the bulk of the unpacking work around the house.
Thursday and Friday will be much like Monday and Tuesday - work, and unpacking and cleaning.
Somewhere in there I also need to get out and accomplish some errands: groceries, a wedding gift, the bank, insoles for a couple of pairs of shoes, basic toiletry needs.
Saturday morning I'm driving to a city three hours north with my brother, to take in my roommate J's wedding. T and Dad are driving back Saturday night, while mom and I will be staying in the city for the wedding reception.
Sunday brings the three hour drive home, and then, quite likely, collapse.
I think the evenings and weekend that will follow all of that will finally bring the desperately needed down-time.
So, I'm living in the midst of the whirlwind, and doing my level best to stay upright. As opposed to previous times, I have in fact managed to eat something three times a day each day. This means that I have slightly more energy to offer than previous years. I did get a few hours of sleep last night before the tormenting started. That helps too. I wasn't too proud to admit that I need help and phone mom to ask her to pray. That's kind of a big step. My head knows, even if the rest of me doesn't, that I'm going to survive all of this, and be just fine, and that the move is well in hand. Usually I can't even convince my head of that. AND, I'm trying to find ways to inject just the tiniest bit of normalcy (like going to the airport tonight to greet my brother). That will hopefully help too.
But, just to give you a glimpse, here's some of what I've got going on for the next week and a bit:
First, because we have an out of province person in to do some work with our accounting department at work this week, I've been mostly covering my own lunch hours. Which means I'm not really getting a break in the middle of the day. No chat with a good friend who usually shares the lunch coverage of the phones with me. No relocating to her office for half of the lunch hour. And just a few frantic trips out to pick up something to eat, in 15 minutes or less so that I can get back to covering the phones.
Tonight my mom is coming over and we're taking another load (two vehicles full this time) of belongings to our new apartment. Then I'll likely come home and do a bit more packing, and carrying things that will need to be moved up from the basement.
Quite late tonight my brother and his girlfriend arrive home from a trip to visit her family. I don't have to go to the airport, but I think I may join my dad to pick them up, as I could desperately use a bit of a normalcy break. I'd like to do something, even just for a little bit, that doesn't revolve around packing and moving and transitioning.
Tomorow night is my dad's birthday dinner. So I'll be there, and then I'll be back at my current house, boxing the things in our kitchen so that we're ready for the major move on Saturday.
Saturday is the big move. If it's done in time, I'm desperately hoping to go to church. I'm longing to be around other believers.
Sunday I'm going someplace, at least for a few hours, by myself, to have a conversation with God, and get the divorce that I mentioned earlier this week. I'm actually hoping that the move will have gone very smoothly, and I'll be able to take most of the day for this. I'm not sure right now, given how the last few days have gone, how my panic levels and energy levels have been, that I'll be up to going to the spot I'd really like to, but I'm hoping for that.
Monday will bring the return of work, and in the evening settling in to our new house.
Tuesday will look pretty much like Monday.
Wednesday I'm off work for Canada Day. I have an installer coming sometime between 8 and 10 in the morning (who I have to refuse at the door - LONG STORY) to solve our internet and telephone and television issues. That day will also likely see the bulk of the unpacking work around the house.
Thursday and Friday will be much like Monday and Tuesday - work, and unpacking and cleaning.
Somewhere in there I also need to get out and accomplish some errands: groceries, a wedding gift, the bank, insoles for a couple of pairs of shoes, basic toiletry needs.
Saturday morning I'm driving to a city three hours north with my brother, to take in my roommate J's wedding. T and Dad are driving back Saturday night, while mom and I will be staying in the city for the wedding reception.
Sunday brings the three hour drive home, and then, quite likely, collapse.
I think the evenings and weekend that will follow all of that will finally bring the desperately needed down-time.
So, I'm living in the midst of the whirlwind, and doing my level best to stay upright. As opposed to previous times, I have in fact managed to eat something three times a day each day. This means that I have slightly more energy to offer than previous years. I did get a few hours of sleep last night before the tormenting started. That helps too. I wasn't too proud to admit that I need help and phone mom to ask her to pray. That's kind of a big step. My head knows, even if the rest of me doesn't, that I'm going to survive all of this, and be just fine, and that the move is well in hand. Usually I can't even convince my head of that. AND, I'm trying to find ways to inject just the tiniest bit of normalcy (like going to the airport tonight to greet my brother). That will hopefully help too.
Untitled
My thoughts are all over the place still.
Fairly late last night I realized that I wasn't having any success slowing my racing mind and spirit, calming them, in the hope that I could sleep. I phoned my mom, and broke down again. I phoned her and asked her to pray for me. I needed to hear someone's voice, talking to Jesus on my behalf. Mom wouldn't always be my first choice for that, but the pickings around me are slim these days, and she is reliable in her willingness to care for me in that way.
It helped a little. For the first four or five hours of the night I mostly slept. The time after that was a bit more challenging. I spent a lot of time tossing and turning, quoting scripture or old hymns as the panic, fear and voices encroached.
The last time I woke, I was choking and dry heaving. Some combination of the encroachment of the fear and the fact that I'm still struggling with this cold and my throat had completely dried out overnight, plus my sinuses had begun to drain. I stumbled to the bathroom and sat leaning against the bathtub, waiting to be able to breathe again, for the moment to pass, before returning to bed to await the beginning of the day.
I suspect that I was thrashing in my sleep again, too. Upon waking I discovered a deep purple bruise, about the size of a nickel, on my left knee. It wasn't there when I went to bed last night. I often wake with bruises that can't be explained, particularly along the left side of my body, but they're usually the shallow, yellowy-green sort that fade after a few days. This new one is quite and purplely-blue, and seems to still be coming to it's full color.
I'm listening to a recording of a long list of classic hymns. I was raised on these, and my affinity for the deep beauty of their lyrics and melodies has never faded. I'm particularly enjoying this particular recording by Jon Buller and friends.
I also watched this again this morning. A dear friend sent it to me the other night, chuckling at the timing given the rather challenging conversation we were having that day. I needed to hear it again this morning, and suspect I'll play it once or twice more before the day is out.
The fluctuations of my body temperature tell me that I'm likely still running a fever. I'm watching my newest piercing closely, as it's showing signs of trying to develop an infection in the midst of this week where my immune system seems to be refusing to function.
And with that, I must re-direct my attention to other matters! Until later...
Fairly late last night I realized that I wasn't having any success slowing my racing mind and spirit, calming them, in the hope that I could sleep. I phoned my mom, and broke down again. I phoned her and asked her to pray for me. I needed to hear someone's voice, talking to Jesus on my behalf. Mom wouldn't always be my first choice for that, but the pickings around me are slim these days, and she is reliable in her willingness to care for me in that way.
It helped a little. For the first four or five hours of the night I mostly slept. The time after that was a bit more challenging. I spent a lot of time tossing and turning, quoting scripture or old hymns as the panic, fear and voices encroached.
The last time I woke, I was choking and dry heaving. Some combination of the encroachment of the fear and the fact that I'm still struggling with this cold and my throat had completely dried out overnight, plus my sinuses had begun to drain. I stumbled to the bathroom and sat leaning against the bathtub, waiting to be able to breathe again, for the moment to pass, before returning to bed to await the beginning of the day.
I suspect that I was thrashing in my sleep again, too. Upon waking I discovered a deep purple bruise, about the size of a nickel, on my left knee. It wasn't there when I went to bed last night. I often wake with bruises that can't be explained, particularly along the left side of my body, but they're usually the shallow, yellowy-green sort that fade after a few days. This new one is quite and purplely-blue, and seems to still be coming to it's full color.
I'm listening to a recording of a long list of classic hymns. I was raised on these, and my affinity for the deep beauty of their lyrics and melodies has never faded. I'm particularly enjoying this particular recording by Jon Buller and friends.
I also watched this again this morning. A dear friend sent it to me the other night, chuckling at the timing given the rather challenging conversation we were having that day. I needed to hear it again this morning, and suspect I'll play it once or twice more before the day is out.
The fluctuations of my body temperature tell me that I'm likely still running a fever. I'm watching my newest piercing closely, as it's showing signs of trying to develop an infection in the midst of this week where my immune system seems to be refusing to function.
And with that, I must re-direct my attention to other matters! Until later...
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