I’ve been back for nearly 36 hours now. The surreal part of being here is that it doesn’t feel like I’ve been gone long. The other part is my home isn’t my home. I packed everything up in the bedroom, closet, hall closet, bathroom, kitchen cabinets, cleaned out the fridge and minimized the office. Everything is in boxes upstairs.
I wanted the people living here for 3 1/2 months to feel like they had space to live here. When I came home and walked into my house, it felt different. Some of my paintings and tapestries and other things had been taken down to make room for their stuff. My things weren’t put back up. The living space felt foreign to me almost as if I were checking into another hotel. Blank white spaces stared back at me where there had been photo’s of Machu Picchu and bright sarong’s from Bali and other places. Blank white spaces staring at me, I hadn’t anticipated that. Keep in mind that I grew up in the “put things back where you found them” culture. If dad couldn’t find a tool he needed, he came looking for us boys! I had assumed that would happen here. It happened this way so, as with travel, I’m making the most of it.
Also keep in mind that I had everything in boxes. My backpack carries a funky tropical odor from being in varying degrees of damp for three months. My clothes in there were worn, used and mostly unlaundered. If I wanted something clean to wear, it wouldn’t come from there. Before I could shower and put on clean clothes, I had to go upstairs and go through boxes looking for them! A little more foresight and I would have had one box with a favorite T-shirt, undies, comfortable running shorts, warm pants and so forth. After searching, I gave up. I did locate a clean T-shirt, one of my favorites and most comfortable, and an old pair of running shorts along with a long sleep workout shirt.
Showered and settling in, I now had to locate the box of bedding. They brought their own bedding so mine was up there somewhere. One box had blankets, I didn’t know where the pillows were, I had to find sheets and eventually found everything to make up my bed.
Coming home before, I’ve always been able to drop my pack and head to the shower. Maybe I’d struggle to stay awake a little while before going off to bed and getting a night’s sleep. This time took a little more work.
I thought I was ready to settle in for the night until my eyes kept coming back to those “blank white spaces”! Those wouldn’t work at all and I didn’t know where things have been put so I set off on a bit of a scavenger hunt. In one drawer, I found a sarong with the pushpins. In a closet, the painting from my office, the one I used to match up the paint last year. The paint didn’t look right without the painting.
Another spot in the kitchen was bare but tolerable. I opted to get my espresso machine out of storage and set that up first. Priorities you know! After several trips upstairs and then searching through the cabinets, I found everything but the timer! I can make espresso without a timer but why would I? It’s such a habit now to use that as a quality test and since I’ve not made any drinks since November, I wanted to have that handy while dialing in the espresso from Portland. I finally found it tucked above the stove!
By now, it was late. My sis, who is a night owl, was up reading through papers for her work. I kept stopping over to leave things with her for my friends when they stopped by for things they forgot here. One final time, I rang her bell and told her it was the last thing I had found that I needed to leave with her. I reached around and handed her a lovely latte!
Finally, after midnight, I got to bed. Optimistic that I’d get a good night’s sleep, I woke up at 4:00 am and was up for the day from that point on. I took a short nap late in the afternoon sitting up so I wouldn’t drop into a deep slumber for hours. Last night, I went to bed early knowing after a long day, I would get a good night’s sleep. I’m up and writing at 5:00 am after having woken up four or five times last night. My sinus are burning and my throat sore so my body is still adapting to the harsh environment here! Harsh here means NO humidity after more than three months with humidity over 75%, lots of rain and green plants everywhere.
Since I have no pressing projects, I’ll go with the flow. Up early, writing, a sinus neti pot flush, a coffee and then maybe back for some sleep.
BODY UPDATE: I’ve had several messages asking me about my body after the fall. I feel so much appreciation for my body to take care of itself so well! My feet slipped out on the greasy step. I landed without, much time or ability to break my fall, on my right hip, low back and left hand.
Because I work out, the muscles took the brunt of the fall. I don’t even have a bruise on my back where I hit! I stood and did a quick inner check to see if everything is OK? I could tell my back was a little weird so I adjusted it. Somehow, I’ve learned that if I place both hands on my thigh’s slightly above my knees, lean forward and feel myself extending my spine, vertebrae will adjust themselves if they need to. I felt six or seven pops, felt relief and stood to inspect other injuries. The thing that hurt the most was the middle finger on my left hand. I thought it might be broken but probing it gently revealed what felt like a significant jam.
Flying home, the finger began swelling and turning a dark color. I got ice and kept it on for 45 minutes several times and it was much improved. The swelling was down enough yesterday already for me to type residual effect of the fall was a general stiffness and soreness. Sitting on flights from Singapore through Tokyo and on to Denver didn’t help. This morning, it’s still a bit stiff so I’ll soak it in a hot epsom salt bath.
I’m fine, feeling better and better, did some gardening yesterday, watered future plant beds after a very dry winter and will most likely not leave the sofa today other than to make myself another coffee.
As with all the people and experiences on my trip, the moments of serendipity where something I needed or someone with information that would be helpful simply showed up helping me on my way, I’m taking the same approach here. First, I knew the fall wasn’t an accident so to me it represented some sort of adjustment my last night of the trip. Now, being here at home, I’m being still and listening. I’m also feeling appreciation for the amazing experiences I had traveling and the ones I’m eagerly anticipating that will be showing up in my life here.
Now, I’m going to get myself a little “coffee medicine”.