Home Sweet Home

It's been eight years since my last move. I have completely forgotten what a pain it is and as a result, have grossly underestimated the work involved. What a lesson!

The old landlord, upon hearing my decision to move, wanted me to move within the week or pay an extra month's worth of rent. I bolted as quickly as I could pack. The new place was not as fixed up as it should be, rushed as I was to move in. Problems surfaced one by one. First, the stove, then the toilet. (Drum roll) Then, I sat on my glasses and the laptop crashed.

What's even worse, when I picked up the kids at the boarder's, Blessing had chewed her foot pads raw, from anxiety, chemical, God-knows-what. My heart almost stopped when I saw her bloody footprints on the kitchen tiles. Man, what had I gotten myself into, everything was spiraling out of control...

I was tired, frustrated, ill-tempered, damn right exhausted. The unpacking took weeks instead of days. It was a nightmare living among boxes. The desolation, hopelessness and futility of it all was complete. There I was in my new pad feeling like a drifter.

Will this place ever feel like home?
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We've been out the whole day, the kids and me. It's the first time we have ventured out aside from our daily walks. The kids have an overdue appointment at the groomer's. I have the afternoon off.

At first, it's exhilarating, four hours of freedom! I picked up my glasses (very important as I haven't been able to see clearly for a month). I haven't felt so good in months, things are falling into place and life is making sense once more!

I went browsing in a bookstore and ended up with two great reads. What's even better, they were redeemed from bonus points, no money out of the pocket! Armed with my goodies, I sat down for a coffee. Whoa, only an hour had passed? I was so ready to go pick up the kids.

I dived into my new book, read a chapter of it, checked my emails, wrote in my notebook, all too ready to pick up the kids and go home. Huh, only forty-five minutes went by? By this time, I was getting antsy. I didn't want to stay out anymore, so I went back to the groomer's. The lady was running late and the kids would take another hour longer.

I left with my bags, wondering how much more I could drink without exploding. Suffice to say, when the groomer called to say the kids were ready, I went right away. I could see the kids were tired, no food, water and nap the whole afternoon. We hopped on to the next taxi and went home.

I dropped everything on the sofa while the kids went to the water bowl. Porky then looked at me as if to say "what a day, I am exhausted!" Tell me about it. I could see Blessing relaxing the moment we stepped in the door.

The kids were ravenous. Both had a big treat after dinner and they're asleep now. I had not envisioned myself saying this when I went out earlier today, "Boy, am I glad to be home with the kids!"

Today's outing has given me a new perspective on things. Little did I appreciate the fact I had a roof over my head. Instead I keep whining about the unfairness of life. I guess I should have fixed my glasses sooner so I could see how blessed I am.

Boy, am I glad to be home. Home sweet home!!

(pic taken at flower show)