I flew back to DC late last night--yes, that's right, on Thanksgiving. And even though there was no turkey waiting for me when I got home, the crisp air that hit my face as I walked out of the airport felt good and sweet, like November is supposed to.
Coming home a day early meant that today hasn't felt like a Friday, and all in all I feel a little off my game. Then again, I guess that's to be expected. I still haven't been able to think too much about the last seven days, to digest it all and reconcile what I eventually need to reconcile. It just feels like a half-remembered bad dream.
Oh, and my car died today, but that's OK. Although I'm not all that superstitious, experience has taught me the old adage that "things happen in three's" holds true. The first two events were, as you know, my grandmother's funeral and our house being robbed the next day. The death of my car, then, completes the cycle. Believe it or not, I'm a little relieved, because the passing of that third event should mean that the bad luck is behind me. I had actually been anxiously awaiting the third "catastrophe" so that I could move on with my life, and there were far worse things that could have happened than the hassle of calling AAA (Especially considering the tone that the previous two events set).
Nonetheless, today I tried very hard to get my mind off things. I started off the day with a big, comforting bowl of oatmeal (my favorite breakfast) and spent too many hours at Target listening to Christmas music and buying myriad odds and ends for both my apartment and my friends and family. I was going to go to the gym, but felt that my time would be better served getting a huge flatbread salad from Cosi and then going home and taking a long shower and curling up on my couch.
And then I wrote down a list of things I want to do during Christmas break. (It's beyond me that the only thing that stands between me and winter vacation are two 15 page papers. Where on Earth did this semester go? ) My lofty cold-weather plans include painting assorted pottery at ColorMeMine (!!!), going to synagogue and making my first concerted effort in four years to meet other Jews (...), cooking REAL food (and becoming a more adventurous cook in the process), and maybe visiting my Uncle in Connecticut again (I'm hooked on this whole invention called "New England").
This is all, fingers crossed, assuming my grandfather doesn't pass away, which is a distinct possibility. In which case, I'll be back in Florida despite my best efforts.
I also, in the spirit of the holiday, composed a brief list of what I'm most thankful for:
1. My parents, and sister, and my grandparents
2. My and their health
3. My Uncle and Aunt
4. Refer to 2.
5. My Boca friends, my Williamsburg friends, and my Georgetown friends.
..."Oatmeal" would have been on that list as well, but it seemed that if I wrote that down then all bets would be off and I wouldn't be able to, in good conscience, look anyone else, not mentioned on the list, in the eye ever again....because how do you explain to someone that they were trumped by breakfast cereal?
Tonight, still in pursuit of regaining my pre-thanksgiving routine and composure, I was feeling adventurous and inspired by this great blog I came across: http://eatliverun.com and I made the most DELICIOUS and filling dinner! I found a great recipe for rosemary and thyme baked chicken and added a side of mashed sweet potatoes and sauted spinach. For some reason, the decision to cook a real dinner tonight made me feel calm for the first time in several days. Despite all the sweets and bread that we had while sitting shiva, we hadn't really had too many sit-down meals. It felt good to do so tonight, to add back some semblance of normalcy.
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