Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thankgiving to all of you. The above sums up perfectly what my TDay is all about: moving and that which will help me get through it. hehe

Moving sucks, period. As I get older (of which I’ll be even more reminded next week), moving becomes less of a chore and more of a kind of pathology. With all the stress, a toddler now, adding to the extra complexities of being in Mexico, there are times I feel outright paralyzed. The younger me took all the drugery in stride, looking forward to a new start. The older me takes the “new start” with more than a grain of salt. Unfortunately, I’ll have at least one international move to NY and a probably interstate move once stateside after my 5th pathway year. Both those events will be more of a production than this one, so I have to learn how to deal, or else.

I have discovered through this process that I’m a bit OCD. I am on the floor, clearing cables, dusty from months of stasis on a tile floor, and I intend to simply wipe them quickly through a dustrag before coiling them into a box. I look at a large surge protector with stains on it, probably from some spilled coffee or diet Coke, and think, “This simply won’t do.” I take a wet-wipe and remove the stains; after all, when else would I have taken the time to do this? Except that in doing so, I see that the whole cord is filthy. I don’t want to pack something grimy in a box destined for a new house, now would I? So I take an extra minute or two to go over the cord with the wet-wipe to at least restore its original, nondescript beige splendor. Repeat for everything else. With each notice of a new imperfection, my radar becomes more and more attenuated to fixing what’s wrong. Thankfully, I do catch myself before I’m trying to dust individual computer fan blades with a cloth-covered toothbrush, but my tendency to head down this path all the time is a bit of a concern. I don’t think it’s to the point of being a problem, just an obstacle to efficient, “get it done” time management–something that’s so sorely needed right now.

I had a nice dream of us going to a school-sponsored catered affair at a local country club tonight. Of all the annual school-sponsored events, Thanksgiving dinner is the one that’s done right. The wine, conversation, and cheer flows freely, professors mingle with students, and a good time is always had by all. Of course, since the movers arrive tomorrow morning, going meant that we would have been done early. *peal of laughter* I did think it would be nice, since we now have a babysitter, to take time amidst all the craziness just to have a nice few hours for us and just simply be, but last night it was clear going would be logistically impossible. Claudia and I committed to celebrating on our birthdays next week, in our new house–a moment I very much look forward to.

Today is about giving thanks. I am thankful for my family, for being in a position to be able to move into a better home, and even for being healthy enough to gripe about the process. I am thankful for my friends, in person and online, and for many new opportunities that have opened up for me in spite of being on hiatus from school. I am most thankful for my wife and daughter, who each in their own way challenge my patience in seemingly never-ending new ways, but in doing so make me a better person and remind me what all this is for.