Dearest Rachel –
Yesterday saw me awake long before five, and desirous to return to slumber. But, of course, my mind was too busy writing to you by then to let me go back to sleep. Of course, everything that was bugging me at the time has now come and gone – that’s how current events work – and although it’s as irrelevant to you now as then, I had to get it on paper for you… or, I guess, in pixels. You know what I mean; in order to get it out of my head (not so that I could get back to sleep, but to sort of calm my mind down), I had to write to you about it.
Besides, I thought that kite-eating tree was a cute “costume.”
As long as I was up, I figured I might as well take care of some laundry (as opposed to, say, hitting the gym. If nothing else, I didn’t see the need, since I would be meeting Lars later in the day – which was another reason to get my letter out to you as soon as possible). I didn’t have all that much to wash, but what there was had gotten rather badly stained, so I figured I should get to it as soon as I could, lest it set in. I think that would have been the sort of logic you would use; most of the time, you’d let the hamper get as full as possible, but major stains would get the washing machine immediately (along with whatever was lying around waiting to be washed, since there was always something).
So that’s what I did, and I completed your letter while I waited for it to run through its cycles – which it did almost before the sun was up. Yeah, I was up that early.
From there – and after either folding or hanging everything up – there was breakfast to be had. Mostly trying to finish up what was in the fridge; I’d bought some cored pineapple on clearance a week ago, and it needed to either be used or thrown out. Some fruits don’t age well, and the reason I’d gotten the price I had on them was because – according to the store’s own calculation – the stuff was already past its prime, and here I’d let it sit in the fridge for another week? Well, some fruits manage the extra time well enough; you’ll recall my occasional attempts at making a mild form of applejack by leaving cider in the fridge for a little too long.
This stuff was pretty close to that moment, albeit the juice itself wasn’t quite so appetizing as all that. I ate the fruit, but had to throw out the juice. Unfortunately – and this was the only bit of bad timing of the morning – when I ran outside to add the container to the rubbish bin, the collection truck had already been by for the week, so it would have to sit around fermenting for another week.
Now that I think about it, I should have just dumped the liquid on the lawn; or would that have damaged it further, I wonder?
Anyway, as I mentioned, I was meeting Lars to walk in the woods, so I was only going to be at the ‘office’ for maybe an hour or so. What ‘work’ I had would have to be done quickly.
And this is where it occurred to me to prepare this morning’s letter to you (especially since I’d already mentioned politics earlier, and while it’s bad enough to focus on it in any letter, to do so twice in a row is just that much further beyond the pale), because for some reason, in that hour, I got so much done:
I started by emailing Jenn, first regarding Thanksgiving. With Bill dealing with a broken leg, and Mom dealing with an empty home, neither of them are in a position to host the holiday, or at least to prepare it. So I’ve offered not so much to host, but to basically sponsor (if that’s the right word for it) a meal out that day in lieu of being at one or another home. Brazilian churrasco may not be a traditional Thanksgiving feast, but since we’re defying tradition just by going out in the first place, why not go all-out?
Additionally, I needed to ask her about Will and his fiancée, and when they will tie the knot. I have an idea as to what to get them for a wedding present – not unlike the “house of cedar” moment I probably didn’t tell you about here, because of how it would sound to someone reading over your shoulder – but it’s somewhat time-sensitive, and would need to be in line (as closely as possible) with whenever their nuptials are (which, apparently, is still up in the air). Still, at least the question is out in the open, and there’s someone to hold me to this offer.
On a similar note, I had to check in with my travel agent about certain offers on their latest brochure. I’ve said so many time before that I know what you’re seeing and enjoying is incomprehensibly better than anything that can be done here on earth, but I do wish you could have seen Daniel and I with our preparations for this trip and that. I promise, there will be more details as time goes on, but the ball has been put in motion yet again.
But with all these hopes and dreams set up, there is a little more in the way of workaday issues, too. Even after writing all these emails, I also had time to take care of a couple of bills – mostly credit cards, which are my biggest expenditures in any given month. It may be painful to pay (although considering how much is charity on one of them, not really), but it’s a nice dopamine hit to have them all out of the way, and still with plenty of time to collect myself and get out of the door toward the woods.
It would probably be a bit narcissistic to say I was proud of myself for accomplishing all this before leaving, but maybe that’s where I am, now that I’m used to doing it all on my own. I’m not asking for praise, but if you could be happy with me for these accomplishments, that would be nice. One day, these assignments will no longer be an issue, I suppose; there will be no heavenly laundry for our robes, no need to pay bills for all that is given to us – but in leaving those behind, we leave those little mental rewards for doing them behind, as well. I’m not sure if it’s a total win, in that respect; you would know, but you can’t tell me until I get there myself.
