Today we've lived in Edinburgh for exactly years. If the first year was about adventure/adjustment, and the second was actively settling in, then year three was actually being settled. For me this was the year I stopped being homesick for DC. Not that I don't still love it there, but I rarely think about or compare the two anymore. The streets here are starting to have so many memories of their own. Each one reminds me of moments from different seasons I've had here and the different people I've been here. Craig says for him its the year he realized he wanted to stay. Not that we know if we can find a way to stay, but still. Its been a significant academic year for him too, and this next year will be more so. Unfortunately we were not in the most celebratory mood this morning. I don't know about you, but five months of relative isolation is where I hit a wall. I'm very much wired for the aloneness, but the lack of activity, adventure, and direction is wearing ...
My grandad died surrounded by his four siblings singing him hymns, his wife of 66 years and his daughters holding his hands. I could not imagine a more peaceful or dignified way for my Grandy to go. Everyone should be so lucky to die this way. We were able to keep him comfortable but the pain falls to those of us left to go on without him. My Grandy was a sharp dresser. He was a handsome guy. He smoked a pipe and the smell suited him like a nice cologne. He kept everything so neat. As a kid I would marvel at the things in the office room of his home. It seemed to be filled with treasures, well polished, and I wouldn’t dare touch anything. He kept his garage floor so clean you could’ve eaten off it. He kept pictures and mementos in there like it was just another room of the house that also stored cars. It was so weird and nice. Despite its pristine nature, nana and Grandy’s home has always felt so comfy to me. My Grandy always tried to convince me to play more golf. His argument w...
"Choosing good things in 2013" was my motto that year, accompanied by 13 specific goals under that banner. I don't remember now what the exact goals were or how many I accomplished but they reflected both a habit and a value shift that had been developing for a little while. From this year on, all of my goals were various iterations of the same thing--continuing on with the habits that I'd picked up easily and improving on those which had been more difficult. Eventually I stopped making New Years goals, having more or less accomplished everything that must have been on that initial list, happy with the way I was living my life. My motto, if I were to call it that, for 2021 could be: one day at a time, one thing at a time. Looking any further ahead than that feels both pointless and disappointing. I'm finding it impossible to make plans and the reality of that depresses and frustrates me. So this year I want to learn to let the little things count--literally. I hav...
Comments
Post a Comment