Reflections on (What?)--Absence? Love? Life?

The boys went camping for 9 days, traveling to Utah on a "buddy trip" with my dh's college buddy and his son. Some reflections:

1. I do well for 4-5 nights alone. After that, I tend to be thankful for the house alarm. Sigh.

2. Contrary to my husband's claims, there is no great mystery to taking out the garbage/recycling.

3. I do not use my fair share of the dishes in this house. The dishwasher had a pretty relaxed 9 days.

4. Not everything that is "worth doing" is measurable by tidiness of shelves, emptiness of laundry baskets, or decluttering. These are nice, but they are not all there is.

5. There is some truth to the line, "If only I had some time to myself, I would...(fill in the blank)..." There is also a good deal of self-delusion in it.

6. I had fun playing on the boards again. 7. Spending time--long periods of time--with friends in uninterrupted conversation is wonderful. It was the best thing I did this time, even though it also meant that my bookshelves still need ratting out.

8. Having friends who will come to my house to spend long periods of time with me while I am on "medical shut-in" status (three days, this time) is a blessing straight from God.

9. I'm a tidier person than I thought.

10. It's kind of fun to go to bed when I want to, and to be able to watch complicated movies without having to make endless interruptive explanations. And not to watch Star Wars.

11. It's hard to sort toys when my eyes are blurry because I am bawling, due to watching the musical Les Miserables.

12. I had no idea that the entire LEGO enterprise had manufactured so many bits and pieces, let alone that they had all found their way into my house.

13. The birdies would starve if left to my care; I forgot to fill the feeders until today.

14. When this season of my life is over, there will be a pathway for me to find the next purpose and job. I don't have to be bothered about it now; I just need to live into this season.

15. It was nice to not have to pony up patience and kindness during the somewhat trying medical three days of stringent diet and shut-in-ness. But it was boring, too.

16. I really love my guys. I miss them a lot. It will be great to have them home, and to tuck them in and cook for more than myself and do their dishes and marvel at the complexity of taking out the garbage, and step on the LEGOs and get going on the summer of swim and tennis and golf and sailing and Boy Scouts and Cannon Beach and all the business that will be because we will be together.

It's great that we can be apart and sufficient, but it is a huge blessing from God that we are together and don't have to be alone. I hope I can remember that for more than 9 days.

(Note that this is a recycled post I made on The Well Trained Mind discussion board. When a fellow blogger points people to your blog, it is probably well to make a post that is newer than two months.)