Restorative Thursday

Yesterday was just the restorative day I needed.  The day before was the kind of day when I just wanted to get in the car and drive north and see how long it took for anyone to look for me.  I quickly abandoned that plan for several reasons:  I was wearing sandals, I had no jacket, I had the credit card with me that doesn't give me Amazon points, I'm a good girl who reports to work when she should.

Oh, who am I kidding?  The real reason I never run away:  I'm afraid no one would come looking for me.  I'm afraid that no one would notice I was gone.

But happily, Thursday was not like Wednesday.  My Hindu writer friend picked me up at my office, and we went to buy books as Christmas presents for our Reading Pals.  Then we went to Panera with our short stories.

We reflected that we were at the first Panera we'd ever visited.  We remembered a friend who moved to Maine--but before she moved to Maine, she told us that we had to go to this new place, Panera.  We read our stories and commented.  We talked about literature we love and the movie Shakespeare in Love.  It was the kind of lunch where I reveled in the company of someone I've known for over a decade and reveled in the feeling of being known--and cherished, despite my faults.

Eventually, we had to head back to school.  Graduation awaited us.  Unlike many, I love graduation.  I love watching all the students who have overcome all the challenges and have earned a degree.  I need the reminder that often, our work is not in vain.

Before we went to graduation, I had a steady stream of students coming to see me.  I can go for days with nary a student, but when I have 45 minutes until it's time to leave for graduation, I had five students.  Happily, I was able to help them all.  Happily, my writer friend was there, so she could explain to one student how to work her phone to send an attachment.

A colleague who was working on one of the computers popped into my office to tell me how impressed he was with my customer service.  At first I thought he was kidding, but he was sincere.

After graduation, I headed home to discover that our washer/dryer all-in-one unit had arrived and that my spouse had put the laundry room back together.  We washed a load of clothes.  The appliance worked, unlike the last time we had a washer and dryer delivered.  What we ordered was what was delivered, unlike in the summer when we bought a stove.

The dryer that came with the house broke in September.  We've been using a dryer rack ever since, because my spouse was hard at work on restoring the cottage and then it was Thanksgiving.  Our kitchen is still somewhat minimal.  At times, I can't fathom how we will ever get the main house to be what we want it to be.  At times, I imagine we could live like we've been living quite happily.  After all, the kitchen we have is a better kitchen than my first grad school kitchen.

Today will be a delightful day at work.  I will work in the office in the morning before going to the Christmas luncheon.  Then I will help take down the Christmas tree, which needs to happen because the floors will be redone next week.  I'm feeling fortunate in all kinds of ways.