Good thing I decided to swim this morning, instead of hoping for better weather later in the day. The rain fell hard and long, and I worried about the kids swimming in a thunderstorm early this afternoon. Their mothers were nearby: in the hot tub! I was so tempted to herd them all out of the swimming area, but that "crazy old lady" label isn't one that I'm willing to embrace right now and they all seem to have escaped unscathed.
It took longer to pack that I anticipated but most of our things are now in the car. We are both (a little too) frugal, and we ate the food we had on hand for breakfast and lunch. Turns out that imitation crab wasn't what the package said it would be, and my stomach gurgled ominously during 4:00 p.m. Mass. Now, a few hours later, my tummy feels borderline unsettled. I'm relying on Old Crow bourbon to cure anything that might ail me.
It took me awhile to unwind here -- and, of course, being "unwound" is a very foreign feeling anyway, but I think I've figured out how to approach the next year or so. I organized my projects and created a timeline. I haven't done any Lenten reading, except as presented by Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin on Facebook, but I feel "at peace".
I've always loved Florida, but I'm alarmed at the violence, number and severity of traffic and water accidents, drug and mental health issues, traffic congestion, and general desecration of the environment. Too many people, too close together. Lots of money juxtaposed with severe poverty. A great cultural divide, with old white people still wielding much political and financial power.
It's time for this Minnesotan to go home!
