Alive-O

 The woman had slept in. Now, sitting up and stretching, she yawns,  looks around the room, and thinks,

Home invasion!

She won’t be calling the police, but this looks bad.

Only after her ritual read in bed does she look up again to survey the scene. The necklace she’d worn to church peeks out from the pile of laundry on the bureau. Her sunglasses loll on the floor asking to be stepped on. Last week’s unpacked suitcase doubles now as a doorstop. Before she’d gone out of town, she’d set aside a pile of random socks for matching. She sees them now, crowding together on top of the bookcase. On her way downstairs to make some breakfast she thinks she hears them griping because the others are still gone missing

Mayhem reigned on the first floor too, and as our woman walks into the kitchen, she chuckles as she continues the inventory she’d begun in her messy room. After staying up too late watching some series, rimmed cups and rinsed dishes sit in the sink unwashed. Dried teabags, an open box of crackers, a lounging dishtowel clutter the counter. As she surveys the scene her nose picks up a funky hint of the trash. 

While waiting for the tea water to boil, she walks to the window by the back door. A little sparrow dances the edge of the wooden slat fence. She watches long enough to notice a small morsel of something white in its beak. As the kettle whistles, she turns back to the kitchen.

Stuff here, there and everywhere. 

She stirs sugar into her tea. This, she decides, smiling, is a Lying Around Day. The Health Department would definitely not approve. 

Balancing her cereal bowl and tea, she heads for her chair by the window, picking up a pen on the way. 

Yikes! she writes in her journal, Home a week already since Massachusetts. So glad we got to see the rhodies. 

A robin pecks at something in the mulch out front. These days, she and her husband like to travel to New England in early Spring. Last week they caught the last of the laurels, and the fresh white Kousas that dot their yard.

She swirls her tea and keeps writing.

Maybe it was crazy to plant those seeds. Can’t wait to see if anything comes up. 

And, after another bite of granola,

Swam every day! Cold plunge groupies’ve got nothin’ on me... wonder if I can keep it up?

Sip, chew, write. Sip, chew, stare out the window. Write some more. 

In one week I got to lunch with all three sisters… saw a play… met with carpenter…walked woods…cleaned up tool shelves…and, geez, I think we went out for ice cream 3x.

She stares at the tally stretching out before her.

Look at us. Rolling down the hill of old age one episode at a time. Binging on life!

She’s still laughing when her phone buzzes,

Argh! she yells reading.

It’s her new friend, the one from church she’d invited over.

On my way! 

Me, too! she thinks jumping up - racing.