I’m not feeling very focused tonight. I was going to write some kind of semi-profound post about going away, preparing for what I expect will be a life-altering week, and leaving the family behind for the first time since Marcel’s breakdown. But nothing very profound is emerging.
So I will part with just a few random thoughts popping through my mind.
- All is well in our household. There’s a lovely balance and a peacefulness I wouldn’t have expected even a month ago. I can go away without worry.
- Last night, there were five extra teen girls sleeping in our house. I liked it, despite the late night giggling that occasionally woke me. I’ve always wanted to have the kind of home where teens feel comfortable hanging out.
- Marcel and I went for a coffee date tonight, as we often do just before I leave. It wasn’t much, but it was lovely in its simplicity. I was struck by how strange the other girls (who spent the night in our house) thought it was that we still go out on date nights. None of their parents do.
- I am going to ALIA with an open mind and an open heart. I want to see both mind and heart expanded by the things I hear and the people I encounter.
- This morning I finished sewing the dress that Nikki designed for her junior high grad. It looks quite stunning. She could strut down a New York street with the Sex and the City girls and not feel out of place. (Yes, pictures will follow.) That girl’s got a future as a fashion designer!
- I feel so very, very lucky that this life has taken me to so many interesting places. Sometimes I think I have the perfect life – just enough travel to satisfy my wanderlust, but then a comfortable home and beloved family to come home to when I’m done.