i have returned from a trip to the home country! i always forget that it's not in fact a holiday. that i still sort of run a household, except instead of a comfortable, familiar routine to support me, there's tons of stuff to do and people to meet, daily. i don't live at that speed! it was exhausting. can you imagine i'd entertained treating it as a sort of spiritual retreat, as if it was a simpler time-out-of-time? sweet summer child, i haven't even made a dent in any of the Entertainments i brought along.
but now that i'm back i'm looking forward to not only going back to Normal, but hopefully to an even better and supportive Normal. i know i haven't guarded my time well on the trip, overextending, skipping self-nourishing activities. i'll try to be more insistent on them in my regular life first, so that they might be easier to transfer on future "holidays" (and/or family visits). walks in nature, plenty of water. morning japa, evening meditation. journaling and reading/writing. let's see how it goes. fit it all in between responsibilities, chores, errands, curve-balls.
speaking of curve-balls, the bathroom is falling apart and there will be more landlord nuisance in our near future... but that's a problem for the week ahead. i think i want to write a Purchases post next, to keep an eye on how the year of contentment is going. stay tuned.
PS the trip wasn't all bad! i did enjoy getting a second spring! fragrant lilacs... rhubarb drinks, good bread, bary mleczne. iced coffee, reading cards for a friend at the cafe, sitting out in the rain under the parasols. photo workshops with sister at the park, her rescue dog being cute with the playful crows. talking consciousness with my favorite aunt, such a curious, caring soul. she's the only person i know in meatspace to have such an open, calm, non-judgmental energy. so plenty to enjoy among the chaos and more stressful bits.
