Focused or Floating?

Summary

The author, Dennett, is embracing a period of personal focus and reflection after a busy start to May, which included hosting family and preparing for an assistant's absence at work.

Abstract

Dennett reflects on a hectic period in May, marked by the anticipation and hosting of visiting family, the first in three years, and the upcoming absence of an office assistant. Despite being semi-retired, the author found themselves scheduling more than usual, which led to a flurry of organizing, cleaning, and baking. The effort to prepare for the family visit extended from April into May, culminating in the creation of various gluten-free baked goods. Post-visit, Dennett finds comfort in returning to a routine but grapples with the emotional distance from loved ones. With the calendar clearing up, there is a desire to focus on personal interests such as writing, photography, and gardening, while also processing the recent experiences and embracing a more relaxed approach to the remainder of the month.

Opinions

The author has mixed feelings about the visit, appreciating the inspiration it brought to tackle neglected tasks, yet also feeling the weight of the preparations.
Baking for the family was a labor of love, and the author took pleasure in it despite the amount of work involved.
There is a sense of contentment in the return to normalcy after the guests' departure, coupled with a lingering sense of loss and the complexity of maintaining long-distance relationships.
Dennett values the importance of self-care and introspection, choosing to prioritize personal well-being and creativity after a period of intense activity.
The author views the balance between personal activities and emotional processing as crucial during this time, with a preference for a gentle transition into the summer months.
There is an underlying acknowledgment of the world's instability, which contrasts with the author's efforts to maintain stability and cherish distant love and lasting memories.

My month — half-done and half-to-go

Like this ominous storm cloud, May rolled in full of promises, worries, and deadlines. I don’t schedule much these days beyond doctor appointments and working for clients. I’m semi-retired, after all. But, I had family coming to visit for the first time in three years and the assistant at one of my offices will be out for a week this month. Reluctantly, I made plans, added to-dos to my calendar, and hoped for the best.

It took a lot of work to get ready to host five additional people in our small home, even if their stay was only three days and nights. As is so often the case, having something new on the horizon inspired me to take care of all the old stuff that was neglected for too long. My organizing, cleaning, and decluttering tasks began in April and overflowed into May.

One activity (or several activities) that I planned was to bake for my family. The day before and the day of their arrival were dedicated to baking. I made 4 dozen gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, 2 dozen gluten-free blueberry drop cookies, and a dozen guava-cheese pastries. Believe it or not, that wasn’t enough. They plowed through all of those, and my granddaughter and I baked a blueberry cake on their last evening here, most of which they ate on the way to and sitting in the Orlando airport, a 2-hour and 131-mile drive from my house.

I didn’t mind the baking — it was all about love!

Now, they’re gone. The house is quieter and warmer — they wanted the air-conditioning much lower than we normally set it. Life is routine again. And, surprisingly, I’m okay with that. It feels good to be “us” again, although I miss “them”, too. It’s confusing to live so far from loved ones, especially kids who are quickly becoming adults.

My calendar is remarkably empty for the rest of this month, with the exception of the extra hours I’ll work when my assistant is on vacation. And, I want to keep it that way. I want to give myself time to regroup after our first company, since the start of the pandemic. I want to be gentle with myself as I grieve the distance between me and “them”, and I want to float into summer, not be pushed like frosting through a pastry bag.

My focus is me and whatever that feels like on any given day. Writing, photography, reading, gardening. Well, it’s already 90 degrees, so gardening is limited to early mornings!

It’s all about finding balance in a world that is teetering on collapse. About holding love that is more than a thousand miles away. About keeping memories that will last longer than me.

I guess you can say I’m focused on floating through the rest of May.

Flint & Steel Prompt / What is your May focus?

Focused or Floating?

My month — half-done and half-to-go