random thoughts – Day 1,654 – (Friday) – wrap-up

The workweek is done, and it wrapped up not a moment too soon. It wasn’t a bad week, but the week before a vacation week is always filled with twitchy anticipation. Or maybe that’s just me because I don’t take enough vacation-vacations and I'm out of practice. Usually, I use random vacation days and staycation weeks for life maintenance stuff like appointments, house estimates or repairs, or dance rehearsals. The annual emails from HR about potential forfeitures of vacation time seem to back up the idea of my needing to use more time off. My need for some fun indicates it should be for leisure and not boring chores.

There has been recent anxiety over packing, an activity which used to feel as natural as sleeping but now is interrupting my sleep. Once upon a different lifetime chapter, I could throw all my favorite little outfits into one of several bags and be packed and ready for an adventure in minutes. Now, it’s an ordeal involving spreadsheets, overthinking, shopping, and imagining what people wear to the normal life activities I haven’t participated in for several years. For instance, what do people wear to a nice restaurant or cocktail party that isn’t guided by the business dress code in the company handbook? I have no clue. 

My summers are usually spent sequestered and freezing in the house/remote office or the downtown office-office, and I don’t know what to wear outside in warm weather. This is probably why I woke up at 4:00 this morning thinking about packing for 80-degree humid weather and the yoga class listed on the hotel’s app and how I better get out of bed right that minute to pack a gym top because a swimsuit top probably won’t be comfortable. And did I pick the right shoes? Will by pants be too long and the hems be stepped on in flat sandals? 

Anway. Work at the office-office was ok today. The drive in was as easy as the summer drives when school is on vacation. It was sunny and the view from the window included the continuing work on the cobblestone street four floors below. The to-do list had items crossed off it and the incomplete items are in a good place. There was time to purge some paper clutter from my desk. I remembered to visit the banking lobby downstairs to take care of some finances.

Pink evening.

After work, there was another stop at CVS for travel necessities recently added to the packing list (Imodium and aloe gel). Despite the traffic, I was home by 5:45 and ready to decompress. At 6:30, the clouds were streaked with pink and orange and I was glad I remembered to look outside to see it. 

Tomorrow, the carry-on bag will be settled and the house will be tidied. Soon, there will be a temporary leave from work and “regular life” at The BungaLowell and the adventure will begin.