Tulips and packing

My niece Dani brought me tulips when she arrived back from seeing her sister graduate college in Orlando last week. She said the flowers were because she missed my birthday, sweet girl. I love walking down the hall and seeing them in that clean new kitchen, punctuating the green outside our window. We've now fully unpacked the endless boxes and set up the kitchen anew, and those nice empty counter tops are no more. It's a working kitchen after all, and my man doesn't do rooms for preciousness and show. Living spaces are for doing life fully, messily, joyfully, and so there you go. It's a relief to be all moved back in with everything functional. So many bags of stuff went out the door, and yet all the cabinets are once again full. At least I know where everything is for the moment. That will change.

Meanwhile, the man and I have remained symptom free for Covid, and have tested negative on two at-home tests, so I think we're out of the woods. Now I have to get my head in gear and start packing for our road trip to Boston, where we will join the family of my daughter's love in celebrating his graduation from business school. He now has two masters degrees, one in engineering and now an MBA. I am in awe of how his brain works, the things about data and operating systems he seems to understand. 

The last two years sure did go by quickly. The old cliché, seems like just yesterday we were moving them into their new campus digs. And now the young loves have another shared life experience under their belts that I trust will stand them in good stead in the years ahead, which they have expressed an intention to live jointly. I wish them the resilience to ride life's waves, the wisdom to rely on laughter, the equanimity to turn challenges into lessons, and the attention to recognize their many blessings in real time, which they seem to be building a good muscle for doing already.

So, what shall I pack to wear to graduation, and class day, and the brewery visit for grad families, and dinners come evening, and exploring the town that has been home to our young ones for the last two years, where they worked hard but had an enjoyable time and made many new friends too. Not so enjoyable that they're staying north, however. They'll be back in the city by the end of June. Those of you who know me well, know that I am over here trying to get my head on straight for four whole days of showing up. Sometimes, there's no question, though. You have the honor of being invited and you just go.