9 Days to Go

It is Friday mid afternoon in Austin. Nick just left to spend some time with his dad. John is at work. I am on the couch wondering what to do next.

My sister came to see me on Wednesday night. It was so much fun. I am going to miss her. She took some of the items from my place that I didn't want to throw out. She was so gracious and kind to do that for us.

She also scored on some household items, like curtains, curtain rods and pictures. It is hard to let go of items when you only get $3 for something you paid $40 new. I am glad she was able to take items that resonated with her and toiletries that her family can use.

Taking Only What's Needed

This move has been like no other. Usually we take toiletries and pictures and knick knacks with us. Because we are moving to another country we have decided to only take clothes, shoes and laptop bags. And it is challenging to know what to store.

I've been doing a lot of running around since August, too. In fact, I've probably driven more since May than I've driven in the past 2 years.

Nothing like a big move to help push you into doing things you've been putting off. I've had chiropractic appointments 2-3 times a week, lunches with friends and Nick's had soccer practice 1-3 times a week.

Preserving Memories

It has been a blessing to be out in Austin, though. Despite the traffic headaches, I've been to places I haven't been to in a long while and it makes me happy that I can say a proper good bye to the city I've called home for 17 years.

John got some of my VHS and Hi-8 tapes digitized. It was nice to see my life here in Austin. I loved watching my family life unfold and Austin has been a great place to raise my kids. I am very grateful for our time here.

The bad news is that all the running around has caught up with me. Today I am feeling a bit under the weather. It is a tough time of year right now. I told John that I forget how miserable September is for us. I complain every year about the August heat but I consistently forget about the humidity and pollen activity that happens in September.

Allergies

The occurrence of allergies, colds and sinus infections go up this time of year. It can be really tough of the kiddos, they just started school in late August.

Without thinking about it, my body's had a hard time with the change in season. I looked at the news online and finally figured out why I was feeling so bad. We've seen very high mold, ragweed and elm counts this past week.

Between allergies, heat and dealing with Craigslist postings, my body asked me to take a break yesterday. I was like, "No, not now!!"

I feel bad about taking a break right now because there is so much left to do. We only have 9 days left here. But when the body calls, I know it is best to listen. I've learned the hard way in my youth that pushing the body only makes things worse. I know that stopping and resting yields faster recovery and faster recovery yields more productivity so I am choosing that option right now.

I have been resting and taking vitamin C for the past day and 1/2. I also slept 12 hours last night after eating nothing but soup and broth yesterday.

I hope to feel better enough in the morning. Oh, please, body! We have a moving sale scheduled for tomorrow. Which reminds me that we haven't even put signs out. See, there is so much to do and not a lot of feeling good going on over here. :-(

I guess my husband will be helping me get those signs made and placed tonight. I just hope he doesn't get sick. He's got one more week in the office left before we leave. Then he will transition to contract work.

Optimism in the Present Moment

All in all, despite me feeling under the weather, I feel optimistic we will be able to get everything done. I am not seeing clients right now so I have a lot of hours available in the day to run errands.

Nick is pushing through his course work and is doing very well so he needs me a lot less. We are trying to keep him a week ahead of schedule right now so he'll have some down time when we get to Spain to adjust to the new time zone.

"Everything will be fine." I keep telling myself. I'll still feel better when most of our items are sold, donated or stored. I hope to make some big progress this weekend.

Then we'll need to sell cars, get luggage or duffle bags, and finish legal and financial matters. But that is for another day. For the next couple hours I'll be resting in hopes that I will be able to help John with everything that needs to get done before tomorrow.

Present moment, one day at a time.