Getting Ready

JUDY - It’s odd to be betwixt and between.  Ted’s right—there is anticipatory pleasure, but there’s so much to do!  It’s not as though we’re just taking off for a few months; we’re actually closing down our living quarters, getting rid of the rest of the stuff, figuring out what NEEDS to be done yet, and setting off on a new life.  It’s darned annoying when a sheet rips; I resent the money spent to buy a replacement!  It’s just eight more months, after all!  So time is spent deciding if the towels can last that long, if there are enough dishes without chips to serve dinner to guests, what spices need to be replaced, and whether the blouse I want will fit in the suitcase. 

And there is the realization that some things are probably being done for the last time.  I’m on the planning and execution team for a women’s retreat each September.  Earlier this month I met with my friends and planned what well may be my last one as part of the team.  It was hard not to make it too special a moment.  For my partners, it’s another retreat.  For me, it made me wonder how much I’d miss it. 

We have enjoyed playing host to friends from our old neighborhood who come into town for the weekend.  We’re finally discovering and exploring experiences and areas of Atlanta that we never visited—it was a pain to drive.  There’s a lot going on here, and I want to soak it up so I can tell the people I meet what wonderful things are here. 

And I still can’t allow myself to be overwhelmed.  Can’t we just GO?