Tuesday, May 13, 2008

A Nest Half Full

"All of life's experiences are valuable. I may not be aware at the time, but experiences and how I deal with them make me who I am. I am molded by both the painful and the joyful happenings in my life." -Coping With Caring, Lyn Roche

Yesterday I woke up with a start when the alarm went off at 6:45 a.m. For a moment I panicked, thinking that we were in real trouble for getting to school on time. Then I remembered.
For the first morning in a long time I had no earthly reason to get up before the paper boy. Or my husband. No reason to fuss over a sandwich of baloney and mustard.
Things around here, while peaceful and serene, are a bit out of sorts. I am reminded of just how out of sorts when I set the table or make my grocery list. Three, Erin, not four.
I remember from my work with family caregivers how lost they felt when their loved one moved into a long term care facility. They would report they had trouble filling the spaces of time previously dedicated to direct care tasks. It's an odd feeling; relishing extra time yet not being too sure what to do with it.
But it is nice to read the whole newspaper with my coffee before night falls.



1 comment:

dorothy said...

There is a Wolf shaped hole in your home - I don't think it will fill in permanently, he will be back and he will fill it up again.