Resting Up North

{Checking out the views from the 15th floor of the Compuware building in downtown Detroit.}

Hi, y’all!  On Tuesday I flew north, and right now, as I sit here typing this post at my sister-in-law’s table, watching the sunshine illuminate spring’s greenery in the yard, all I can think is this: it is good to be home.

Chatting with my sister-in-law this morning, I realized that this trip to Michigan is the first one in over a year when I have arrived in my home state and felt (more or less) like myself.  A year ago when I was here, I was brokenhearted over a romance that was winding down into something less.  I came home in October to mourn the death of my brother Scott.  And in December, after an intense period of grant-writing that dragged on to the very last minute, I was exhausted.  It felt like I’d been run over by a train.  After all that, it is refreshing to be here with a heart buoyed up by lightness and joy.  My mind has been resting and healing.  My body…well, my body is getting stronger as marathon training begins.  And the subjective feeling of living in this body has so much to do with the feelings in my mind and heart that my real task this year has been to heal my way back to feeling healthy again.

And I think Michigan is the perfect place to do that.  Last week was fun, visiting friends in Texas.  But it’s here, in the land of tall trees and the people who have known me the longest, that I think everything will be made well again.  Yesterday we took two little ones to the Michigan Science Center for some nerdy fun, most of which consisted of jumping into a pool of plastic balls and watching balls dance over an airstream.  Today my sister and I spent the day together, eating salads at Panera, trying on wedding dresses at I Do, Too (she tried on, I assisted), and eating ice cream cones.  Tonight there was a Daisy Girl Scout meeting and a handful of very excited five- and six-year-olds, followed by some serious playing in the yard before the final bedtime call.  The weather has been beautiful up here, with perfect temperatures and enough rain to keep things interesting.  It was tempting to stay up last night to watch the thunderstorm, but Lydia likes to wake me up every morning for snuggles before she has to get ready for school, so I need to start going to bed earlier!  After we get out of bed, I’m practically falling asleep on top of her while we sit on the couch watching a show.

I’m so happy these days.  I hope you are too.

(PS  I have a few posts up my sleeve right now, including a bird’s eye view of how this summer o’ fun came to be, as in: how can I afford to take two months off?  I’m writing posts and editing photos during the quiet time, so I’ll still be posting here while I’m in Michigan.)

(PPS  I started writing this post in the morning and am now finishing it as the day winds down, hence the switch in day times.  I kinda like it, so I’m keeping it.)