"Oh, lord of life, send my roots rain." Gerard Manley Hopkins
I was completely exhausted, 100% beat, and still couldn't sleep. After the arrival of the semi filled with our belongings, a foursome of the most appreciated movers efficiently unloaded our entire household not without a glitch or two of course. After making a small dent in the disarray primarily by setting up our beds, we collapsed the first night in our new home, and I lay awake.
I couldn't turn my mind off and two things were plaguing me. First, I was thinking of all the work ahead: the stacks of boxes in every room filled with individually paper-wrapped items that would need to be undone and placed accordingly. Naturally, our new home isn't set up exactly as the previous one and the placement of everything would take time. Furniture needed to be positioned. The kitchen needed to be organized. Storage over four floors (oh, those stairs!) required thought. Like a computer running an algorithm, I was working over the puzzle and wouldn't rest until I knew where to begin and had an initial plan in place.
Further, I was adjusting to the noises of the house. The moans and creaks unique to this abode. The double click of the air conditioning as it turned on like the sound of the small metal clickers we had as children: one click as you pushed the metal in with your thumb and forefinger and one click as you released your grip. The sound of the floorboards as my younger daughter paddled down the hallway to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The incredible cacophony of insect life outside reminiscent of the hot, humid late summers in the Midwest as I slept beneath the screened window as a child. Here, our climate controlled house is sealed shut and yet the racket could convince you otherwise.
The cat was as unsettled as I was. He was still in shock from the long car ride in his carrier, the noise of the move, and the lack of familiarity in his new home. Freddy likes to imagine he is master of his domain, but he is a scaredy-cat to his very core. As my older daughter astutely observed, when it comes to his flight or fight response, Freddy is all flight. All night, he paced throughout the house, making his displeasure with us known and exploring every nook and cranny. As daylight broke, the birds added to the din outside. The night was shot.
Yet, here I find myself a few mornings later, writing at my new work station which is so very inspiring (more on that later). Stacks of boxes still line up behind me, requiring attention, but I made a real cup of coffee in the kitchen this morning, a notable accomplishment. I work with Freddy asleep on my desk as companion. He is settling in, too. Living the academic life, I have moved over 20 times in my lifetime, and it doesn't get any easier midlife. So, despite the challenges, we simply increase the amount of help we get to meet them. Why? So that we may continue to thrive and grow by sending our roots wide and deep. Thus, we are nourished and quenched internally just as the earth is soaked with rain outside this very morn.
