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- Aug 5, 2023, 11:52pm
- ☁️ 73 °F
- Altitude: 823 ft
- United StatesMinnesotaDakota CountyMendotaSnelling Lake44°53’1” N 93°12’55” W
At the airport
August 5, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F
Waiting to board I’m struck by how differently I feel about this adventure than about the last two. There’s next to no fear, (with the exception of the usual dread of the flight itself), but there is also a lower level of excitement and anticipation. I think I’m just kinda tired.
This has been a stressful summer. At the beginning of spring I told Grant that the yard and the house has just gotten to be too much work. Not that I ever actually DO the work mind you, but even THINKING about the work has me stressed out! So, after a little wheedling and cajoling, we came to a decision to put the house on the market and downsize. And that has dictated how the summer has gone.
In between volunteer work, grandkid sitting, and trips to the cabin we have been preparing to market our house.; meeting with the realtor, the stager, making what turns out to be some major and costly repairs, plus going through the bins and boxes and bags of detritus and minutiae that we have been lugging around for lo these many years. Many trips to Goodwill, leaving anonymous crates of ephemera on my daughters’ doorsteps, guiltily relegating way too much stuff to the landfill. It’s been a lot. Feels like every moment is spoken for. My old retired brain is used to lots of downtime to wonder, waste time, dream and now it is being called on to be productive. All the time.
And then 2 weeks ago my mom fell again and needed surgery and without anyone to advocate for her was sent home unable to complete the most basic tasks on her own. One sister flew in and then I took the second shift in getting her the help she needs. Amidst all this, my brother in law developed multiple pulmonary emboli and almost died. Thank God he is ok now. Then last week Grant texted after what I thought was a routine visit to the eye doctor to tell me he had a tear in his retina. That entire afternoon was spent with him seeing specialists and getting scanned. Surgery was scheduled the following day. I was seriously considering cancelling Iceland altogether to stay home and care for him during his recovery, but after talking to the docs decided that he would be ok on his own.
So here I am. Just tired. And if I were hiking on my own I would consider this an apt time to rejuvenate. But I’m hiking with a group of people I don’t know, which will require me to be at least somewhat sociable, Though I can do it, this requires stores of energy that I am just not feeling right now.
Well, time to board. Hope I can sleep on the plane.Read more