Preparation

The last couple days have been tiring and taxing to say the least. As with anything in life there is sometimes a much needed preparation that has to be done before moving on. This has been the case since graduation , in April, with a slow build up to now.

For the last couple months much of my time has been spent in getting rid of items I no longer wanted, giving things away to people who could make use of them, setting forth the wheels for the possibility of returning to school to start my second degree in the fall, reuniting with people that I have been out of contact with since being in school, getting to know new people, preparing for my trip and much more such as the normal day to day stuff. All of this being part of the preparation that is needed before leaving.

It has been a long 2 months and I am feeling very worn out at this time. This past Monday, with the help of a few friends, whatever I was keeping has been moved into storage. This was by no means an easy task. Everything had to be viewed as" Will I need this in years ahead?" , "Will I have a use for this in 10 years time?"For this is not a short term storage plan but a long term plan. Some things were easy; like my books, cds and art supplies. The rest was based on purpose and usage. As of last weekend I was ready to burn it all or put up an ad that said come take what you want. I had enough of filling boxes and making decisions. I just wanted to start packing and get ready for my trip. Mostly, for once I wanted to know what it was like to be able to do nothing and enjoy some time relaxing.

Yet, I knew that I had to keep going, I really had no choice. For the hand was on the plow and in order to move forward the work had to be done. I think of the 12 who spent 3 years being prepared. What was another couple days for me. Once some more of my furniture was given away and I could start to see the emptiness growing, I felt a little better.

Monday was moving day. After 4.5 hrs of loading up a Sprint van, unloading and getting it placed properly into a 8 x 8.5 unit, it was done! It was able to get done due to Andre, John, Shannon and a my long time friend Amy, who arrived the day before after a 9 hr drive coming down from up North. Both my friend and I were extremely tired and sore from the day, for we were on both ends; loading & unloading. Having played sports, the saying of no pain, no gain came to mind. The gain that came from the pain was the fact that 95% of my stuff was now out of the apartment. The very little that is left needs to be separated into what is going on my trip, what is going to where I will be staying for the next few days and what is left will go into storage.

Today was cleaning day. Much of the credit for the apartment looking so clean is due to another friend who came to give Amy and I a hand. Carol dove right in and did the work of 2 people. She knew from talking with me the night before that I was worn out and that Amy & I were hurting units. The problem with a having a friend who was a former RN,one can't hide the exhaustion as well. However, on the other hand it is a great blessing to have some recognize the signs of a person ready to drop. She heard it in my voice and knew I soon going to hit the breaking point. Having very little sleep in the last several weeks did not help but with all that had to be done and covered there was really not much of a choice. For time was starting to run out. With a fresh person on hand the place was done in a few hrs.

After a coffee and a shower, the next step of preparing had to be done. Getting some clothes for my trip. If given a choice of packing boxes and shopping for clothes, I would gather pack boxes. I hate shopping for clothes! Didn't like it when I was younger, in my teens or as an adult. It is not a pleasant time for me. I would rather pet a snake than go clothes shopping. For those that know me, truly understand what I am saying about willing to pet a snake than shop for clothes. There really wasn't much of a choice. I need new tops for teaching. T-shirts and such were not going to cut it since I will be in a professional setting and there is a dress code to follow. Thankfully this wasn't too painful. Having the guidelines of want would be appropriate helped and the experience was soon over. Results some good tops to go with the skirts that I have.

The next stage of preparation is to get the suitcase packed, gifts bought, and my presentation ready. This is tomorrows agenda along with finishing the sorting of what is going where. With the hope of getting some sleep before flying out in 5 days.

If anything, the last 2 months, especially the last couple days, have shown me that preparation will be part of keeping my hand on the plow. That is as long as it keeps me moving forward and not looking back. For in reality, this is just a small part of the preparation of a much large picture. For what is to come is much bigger and will entail even more preparation in order to be ready. Thankfully that time is head of me and what has been done now has helped to prepare me for what will come.

Blessings,
Rim