I am back in the frozen tundra! For anyone not in the area, I am not being facetious. It really is darn cold out there. I believe we are currently around -4. Reason #291 I am glad I work from home.
Anyway, I felt like I needed to do some reflecting on my time closing up mom and dad’s house. Interestingly enough, I’m struggling to get really emotional about the situation. (This is the first time I’ve EVER had this feeling. Foreign concept!) I’m sure it helps that I was able to walk away from it while it was still 75% full of their things, but overall the few days in the house by myself wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be. Lesson learned: always have a task. If you are cleaning toilets and packing up the one last box, there is no time to be sad.
I did have to laugh out loud at the things that did get me. We already talked about the kitchen table on Facebook. As I noted, I decided not to bring the table home. It was in disrepair and too big to fit in any kitchen we’ll have for awhile. Hopefully some Texas family will be able to fix it up and make great memories around it. On the other side of seriousness, I got very emotional as I took one last pass through the bathroom with the toilet that never worked. No, I didn’t want to bring that broken piece home, but it did make me think of all the times I had to sheepishly come back into the living room and tell dad “um…the toilet is stuck again.” So gross, yet such a specific memory.
I do believe I have all the important pictures and mementos on a truck on its way back to Milwaukee. Its only material stuff, but material stuff with memories. That’s the best.
It was sad to walk away from the house one last time, but that feeling was quickly replaced with the excitement of the trip ahead of me. My dad didn’t know how to handle my anxiety attacks of college. The only thing he could tell me was that a friend of his afflicted with the same issue would always have at least one thing to look forward to. Once again, this proved to be the best medicine.
I am so happy my parents had their time in Texas. Though way too short, it was the perfect retirement experience we can all hope for. My dad got to be a cowboy and my mom, the hostess. I hope Randy and I get to experience something as uniquely us in our later years.
More stories and pictures from the trip to come later this week. I’m sure we’ll also have lots to talk about as I unpack all the stuff upon it’s arrival here in Milwaukee.
