Friday, Jun. 18, 2004 - 1:05 p.m.

I may be stressed

Yesterday morning, 2s left his big horsetrailer at 1d's in littletown, she and the 2 kids packed most of their stuff in it, and in the evening, 2d drove it to their new home in town and unpacked it, then came home where she told me how unbearable the new place was. It was a summer evening and all the young people started gathering outside their apartments, and doom was sure to happen, and 1d and her little family were trapped in this horrid situation, and on, and on and on.

So naturally, I started to run thru all the possible scenarios, thinking maybe we could find a backing up place. 2d is not a town person or a social person. Even when we had to travel with 800 on the summer jobs, I was usually able to find rentals in the country or in a small enough town to shave lots of spread out room, especially because 800 usually had 3 or 4 pickups and other equipment on the job that needed space. She doesn't think she could ever live in an apartment, and maybe not even in town. I am not hearing near so much about the importance of moving out by the end of this month so I think she had decided to take her time and wait for the right opportunity, but seeing what apartment life is like on summer evenings really shook her up, and made her see living here in a whole new light for now. I understand completely after a few summers ago when I stayed all night at 1d's until she got off work in the morning and we left on our trip. 2d and I have gotten too used to this place.

But after hearing 2d's description of my girl's new place, I started to fret too. Couldn't sleep, kept waking, and finally I awoke to find the house on the verge of exploding and burning down. I could not find the do-hickey to stop this from happening, and worse, yet, could not remember how to re-calibrate the do-hickey to stop the disaster. I wandered out to the living room to see if 800 could remember, but he was asleep in the chair, so I went back to bed and slept. Those kind of awake nightmares happen to me when I am stressed. I don't think anything is wrong and then something like this happens, where my world as I know it will be destroyed if I don't do a certain thing. Often, 2d wakes when she hears me fumbling around in the hall, and sends me back to bed. Once I consciously realize I am stressed, I handle it. This morning, I recalled the big difference between 2d and me, and 1d is that 1d and her little family are social critters who like having people around. Even in littletown, they gathered in the neighborhood and visited in the evenings in their yards. They will love it in their new place and upon talking to them just a while ago, this is already true. They can hardly wait for me to come over this afternoon and see how everything has worked out.

I am sure that there will be traumatic events happening in the future. That is the story of their lives, and they thrive on it. 2d and I are stick-in-the-muds who love our gentle routines.

I am going to gather up a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread, pack of Hoagie buns, a frozen brisket, an extra phone, and some nails to take to them. Thank You for providing for them in just they way they need.

EE's devotional

newAutumn Leaves

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