I’ve just had an opportunity to step back from the day-to-day routine and relax, which is rare and yet so so needed. Mr. B and I went away for a few days of reconnection and relaxation. We do this every about 6 months and each time, our departure feels rushed and hectic and then, after a leisurely and delicious meal and some sound sleep, we rediscover each other and it feels like we’re on our honeymoon. I wish I could hold on to that serene mindset and romantic connection after we return home, but it fades with schedules and practicality and life stressors. I will try nonetheless.
I find it useful to step back and check in with myself on how I’m feeling about everything. With Sweet Girl (SG) growing up and currently at sleepaway camp, with our upcoming move to an apartment, and with the end-stages of the future house happening, what better time is there for an interview?
VOICE OF WISDOM (VOW): Let’s begin with a recap of what’s going on in your life right now. The school year has ended and summer has begun. How are you spending your time?
NAOMI (N): June has indeed been a whirlwind, it’s true! The day after SG finished fourth grade, we left for a few days together in The Bahamas. It was not ideal timing, but we’d bought the trip at a children’s charity gala and these were the only dates available that worked for us. When we returned, we took SG to camp, but not before hurriedly packing her room, bathroom, and playroom.
We have been living in a rental house for the past year and a half. After the storm, we first rented an apartment and found that the small amount of space, combined with a kitten and an elderly cat, with the added stress of after-bedtime noises that would wake SG, was just not going to work long-term. We found this house and were able to get our things out of storage and (mostly) return to our normal routine.
Now the house’s owners are returning and our new home is not yet finished, so we are going to spend a few months at another apartment. It is furnished with everything we could need, down to silverware and pillowcases, so we will put almost everything in a storage pod again and send it off for safekeeping until we move home once and for all.
I have been intensely focused lately with finishing projects, organizing our possessions for exactly where and how they will be used in the new house, and just generally neatly packing the items that follow us around from space to space. I have sold all the inexpensive, temporary furniture we bought and some accessories and clothing that we just don’t need, cleaned up our office files and memory boxes, even updated our holiday card list. I’m ready for a few months of living simpler.
VOW: That sounds like a lot! It’s no wonder you needed a few days away.
N: Yes, it was lovely to have a trip just the two of us and it came at the perfect time. Even better, it was a way to segment my time with SG away at camp. Before the trip was work; after the trip is for me. In the next 6 days, I will be finishing a large canvas project, reading a few books, and planning for the remainder of the summer.
VOW: How has packing your house been for you?
N: I have used the time to literally touch every single possession we own with the goal of evaluating its purpose. Do we really need or value it? I am amazed at the quantity of boxes to move STILL, even after selling and donating a great deal. I feel exceptionally privileged to have the things we do, but all the accessories of life have a weight to them, you know?
We got into a mode of aquisition after the storm that has not ceased. We replaced some of what was lost, and there are still things that we only recently discovered were gone. In building the new house, over a period of about a year, we shopped and selected every single thing – appliances, door knobs, plumbing fixtures, flooring, lights. And because the end-date is finally at least viewable in the distance, we are thinking about things like furniture, rugs, drawer liners, etc.
We went on our vacation with a tiny carry on suitcase. We needed swimsuits, some evening outfits, and our toiletries. It’s freeing to have so little! I wish I could let go of everything that is packed and going into storage, but I suppose it’s alright to have these things. I would say that the packing process has shown me that I need to think and re-think what we buy, making sure it’s absolutely worthy of the space it takes up.
VOW: So you are feeling ok about this interim move?
N: It isn’t ideal, but it IS an opportunity to pause the usual and live more simply for a few months. I’m hoping for very little clutter in the apartment. I will be working on only one art project so I can put all else into storage. SG is taking only one box from her playroom. I’m taking only a small collection of books. I’m going to use whatever pots and pans are there and keep it simple.
The apartment has a pool, a game room, and a fitness center, which will be awesome. We’ll enjoy these few months before we need to ramp up our activity again in the fall. Besides back-to-school and moving into our house, I will be facilitating a 13-week Mussar course and again planning the school book fair. I have been careful not to take on anything more.
VOW: Tell us about your new home.
N: Losing our house is something nobody would have expected; it was devastating. Figuring out the cost/benefit of repairing, raising, or rebuilding was confusing. And yet, good things can emerge from change. We had a unique opportunity to dream big and make our future house exactly what we need and want. I designed the whole space to be personal to us and to feel light and open. All the materials and colors will be unified and simple.
I am most excited about my new art space. I’ll have storage for all of my supplies, a sink for washing brushes, and a railing for displaying my creations. I’m also excited about my office because I’ll have all my books organized and in one place. It will also be nice to repair our pool and gardens and use that outdoor space again too to pretend we don’t live in Houston.
Best of all, I am looking forward to a general sense of having landed after a long journey, of being home.
VOW: How will you be spending the rest of the summer?
N: We hope to spend time with friends and family, see some Astros games, swim, and generally let go of my constant surface-level anxiety. I have a daily structure to put in place for SG with activities and reading.
VOW: What are you doing to care for yourself?
N: I have started working with a personal trainer twice a week, I go to a stretching place once a week, and in general, I’m trying to make time for journaling, reading, and deep breaths. 🙂
