75 degrees this morning A real (nice) coolness in the air. That is good, since our AC is still out. (Although we did get the upstairs AC unit to work if we need it).
In spite of my concerns, we were able to work out the details on our house, so we will be moving next Monday, June 23, 2014. We still don't know where, so we may be "homeless" for awhile! Actually we have looked at houses and have generally settled for one, if it is still available. There still is a question if our moving company can actually move us next week (they can load us, so at least we will be out of the house.)
I don't think it would be fair to go into the details of why we are able to close, but it shows what can happen when people are flexible and open to alternatives.
It is so sudden, it seems almost dreamlike. "Yes, we will be moving Monday, June 23, after almost 13 years in Lakeland and almost 9 years in our current house". "And we didn't know until today!" I know it is going to happen, it just doesn't seem like it is reality yet.
The hardest part is leaving our lovely house and patio and some of the best people in the world, our friends in Lakeland. That is really the hardest part. Both our house and friends are truly unique and we will miss them. We know neither can be replaced.
Of course the next few days will be a fury of activity (not counting the AC being out, some tests I have to take, some dental work, etc. in addition to moving!).
Sitting on the patio, one of my last times. A deer came by this morning, maybe to say goodbye. Even though I never talked to any of them, I will miss the people I worked out with every morning at the ATC Fitness Center. It is really strange, I rarely even looked at them (i read etc.), never talked with them, yet feel they are a part of my life. I doubt if I would recognize any of them outside of the gym and maybe not even in the gym, but I feel like they are part of my "group" of exercisers. I doubt if I will find anything like it in the future. I hate to think they will probably all think I quit exercising!
Actually, the gym and my walk in the morning are an internal part of my life. I almost never miss my walk and I rarely miss cycling to the gym (if it is raining, I do drive).
I am glad that years ago, I adopted the attitude of "experience each moment", not in the sense of thrills or pleasure, but just be aware. I even acknowledged the very negative things that happened (even the deal with Lakeland) and tried not to negate how I was feeling. I think it helped me truly experience the house, the patio, the gym and our friends and the residents of Lakeland.
Aliene has done A LOT of packing, which will really help this next few days. Even though the mover will do some packing, most of the packing is completed.
We don't regret our time in Lakeland. It was a wonderful twelve years and we met some people and had experiences we wouldn't have had otherwise. Our only real regret is seeing Lakeland deteriorate into an "average" or even "below average" or a "City of Nowhere". But, that is what democracy is all about. Perhaps the voters will choose better and more wisely in the future, that is no longer my concern. We can't replace the Lakeland Experience either, but that is also gone.
I am finally buckling down and learning the finer details of Excel. As I always say, when I have to use something, it is so much easier to learn. When I am just learning to be learning, it is difficult to grasp and remember.
On the other hand, maybe that is what learning is all about. I can remember my Mom saying that her students were always complaining they "wouldn't use" some classes (Algebra etc.). Maybe the mark of a good teacher is helping students understand the relevance of the information in their real world and how they can use it to accomplish what they want. Looking back, I was that way, if I could see the relevance, I did good, if I couldn't, sometimes I didn't do so good!
Packing. I think the stressful part about packing is the realization that you have to move EVERYTHING, every little item.
That's it for now, Thursday, June 19, 2014.
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