Last week was one of the best weeks of my life. I was in California, connecting with old friends, acquainting with new ones, living a life of freedom. Making the most of conference life at Mom 2.0. Missing my family, but hey, which mother doesn’t?
Re-Entry into the real world is fuzzy and unkind. I came home somewhat sober and detoxing to a broken kitchen faucet, a wretched smell in my kitchen that was like a sweet garbage, a stench of god knows what in my laundry room, a dripping washroom pipe and snow tires still needing to come off the car.
Those issues existed before my departure, the kitchen faucet started to deteriorate a couple weeks ago. A decision was made that instead of purchasing an exact replica, a more high end one would go in its place. The box and new faucet is still in the kitchen, waiting for me to open it and get to work.
I discovered the leak in the washroom pipe about a month and a bit ago. The reason is has yet to be solved is because I couldn’t figure out how to dismantle the lovely drawers in the floating vanity to get to it. Any and all assembly instructions have yet to show me how to disassemble. And my lying under it and starring up has solved nothing.
Laundry room stench? Not sure.
The snow tires? Well we had a freak ice storm in the middle of April so I was just making sure winter was over. Like officially over. That’s my excuse. Looks like it is and I could have booked an appointment to have it done before I left. I didn’t.
They lingered while I was away because no one else is going to do it for me.
This feels like the ultimate metaphor for my life right now. It’s easy to hide, escape temporarily or to pack it all up and just run from the shit and start over.
There are the things you cannot control – the health of your parents and how people will react in certain situations.
And then there are things you can control. I have to prioritize what needs to be done and focus and see it to the end. I start something and then move on to something else before I finish. And then I leave that one undone when something else runs through my brain or a shiny object catches my eye. Or when it gets too hard to do, I just pretend it doesn’t exist. It’s the curse of either being a Gemini or a creative person or both. Whatever it is, it’s detrimental to myself.
Today, for re-entry, I started fresh.
Yesterday was a Sunday, a whirlwind. A day spent with my kids before back to work today. Today, I wrote out everything I need to accomplish this week, this month, this year. The list is long and very daunting, but for today there are check marks on the “done” column.
I rolled up my sleeves, put on my big girl panties and got to it.
Called to change over tires and have appointment booked? Check.
Located bad garbage smell in kitchen and removed it? Yes.
Laundry room stench? I’m working through it.
Washroom dripping pipe and kitchen faucet? It’s in the process pipe. Pardon the pun.
Started on my actual work that I get to invoice and be paid for? On it.
Small victories.
