The older I get, the more I enjoy revisiting well-traveled paths from my past.
Jen and Lauren flew to Disneyland yesterday. Bonnie reached out about the Dining room table earlier that morning, asking if Alex and his fiancee could take it, as they needed one. I was happy to extend that opportunity to them. It was a bittersweet moment, as has been 50+ % of everything that's getting redistributed. The table was hers when we met, ours in Carlton duplex and eventually got stashed in the back of Panorama for the last ~15yrs. I won't go on again about the 'value' of things hidden but given every possible option and outcome for this table, knowing both kids are not attached to or interested in keeping it, having it go to Bonnie's son carries the legacy on within familiar faces. She would like that. After dropping Jen and Lauren off and returning 10 min later after getting a call that Lauren had left her wallet in the car, I visited my mom. I meandered down through Pineville, reflecting on the passing of time, the paths I walked with my friend to junior high and then High School, and felt a wave of melancholy. Linda's death has brought about a strong sense of mortality for me. How can it not? After visiting with my mom and recognizing that she is having further difficulties as she ages, I reached out to my brother to recommend he come to visit this year. I also stopped by Madronia again and spent time at Linda's grave. I think I'm doing that (2nd time this week) because I have yet to comprehend and accept this fully. Or perhaps it just comes and goes, along with various degrees of perspective. Standing there looking at the dirt and decaying flowers still left over from the service, and trying to comprehend that her life has ended and her body now lies beside her father as she had always wanted and as we had discussed so many times in such detached terms feels like a dream now. I returned home, made a nice steak salad, and settled in for the night, only to get a short-notice invite to watch "Death on the Nile" with Jon and Cheryl. I took Lauren's mini and went to enjoy some wine with them and immensely enjoyed the movie. It was perhaps better than the Orient Express was. The dogs both slept with me, and I woke to Tommy heading out to do some "ExtraHour" work. The house was mine all day. That's something I always fantasize and yet, with the chance here, it felt odd and a bit lonely, to be honest. I did set forth and tackle some lingering needs, however. I committed to staying "in motion" for the day and tackling all the clutter and crap that has amassed in numerous drawers and spaces. I cleared and cleaned the entry cabinets, the cables and cords in the living room, the 'desk' drawers in the kitchen cubby, and the patio. I tossed a shitload of old and extra cables that I have not needed for years (but will, of course, next week). It feels great to have done this, especially with a move on the horizon; the more I clear here, the less I move then. I'm going to focus my evening on reading or listening to some audiobooks. I want to take a break from 'watching' stuff, as the time goes so quickly, and I seldom get as much out of it as I put time into more thought-inducing endeavors.