Now that I have been living in my apartment for a
month, I am settling into my little
nest, making it look like my home, and beginning to feel like I’m not afloat
any longer. I’ve learned a few lessons,
made a number of discoveries, and encountered some surprises as I adjust to
life alone. They are making my
collection of days very interesting.
Here are a few highlights:
I decided to buy myself a bottle of wine to enjoy with
dinner one night. After it was chilled
and I was ready for my meal, I realized I didn’t have a corkscrew. I made a quick trip to the local grocery
store to purchase one, but when I got home with it, I couldn’t figure out how
to work the darn thing- it wasn’t like the one I knew and loved at my former
home! I took a deep breath, studied it a
bit, and finally figured it out. I think
that first glass of wine in my new home was the best I have ever had.
Peepholes are made for tall people. I have one on my front door, but I have to
climb onto a stool to see who is on the other side. This happened one day when my landlady’s
handyman stopped by to see if I needed anything. He heard me on the other side of the door
clattering around getting my stool out to see who was knocking, and yelled
through the closed door to ask if I was o.k.
Once I recognized who it was, I opened the door for him. One week later, I had a new peephole- at my eye level.
The television doesn’t have to be on during all of my waking
hours at home. Quiet is nice! I have been enjoying not having background noise
around me all the time. I really don’t
miss it at all.
I can sleep on both sides of the bed, and I do.
The clock doesn’t manage me the way it used to do. If I want to stop somewhere on the way home from
work, it is fine to do so. If I want to
have my supper at 8:00 pm, that’s ok, too.
I can change my mind about what I want to do and when I want to do it
without having to let anyone know.
There is a difference between lonely and alone. So far, I have not felt lonely, because I
have an entire cheering squad of family and friends who are supporting me and
who are always a heartbeat away if there is something I need or if I want a friendly
voice to talk to. I am sure some lonely days
will surface, but for now I am doing fine.
Baritone ukulele chords and words to old songs that have
been stored in the depths of my brain’s filing cabinets for decades are slowly
bubbling to the surface. My sister
brought me a baritone ukulele when I moved, and I have been playing around with
it trying to remember all of the old songs we strummed and sang when we were
Camp Fire Girls at summer camp. There
are still some that are stumping me, but I am hopeful that with a little time,
my fingers will remember the chords and my brain will remember the words to the
songs. In the meantime, I now have the magic
of the internet to assist me in
remembering!
The surprises and challenges keep on coming. As those worthy of note make their way into
my life, I will share them in my collection of days.
