Home!

When returning to a clean house, it seems the least I could do is unpack promptly, maintaining the pretty.

“Try to keep it clean for at least a day.” Friend sighed as we talked while I unpacked the car. She was still at work and I entered a lovely house.

“Wow.” I murmured as I walked through, moving food to the kitchen and leaving my suitcase in my bedroom, keeping the phone to my ear. “You didn’t have to do this!”

“Well, yes, I did. I thought my parents would want to stay out there, then they changed their minds at the last minute.”

“Lucky me!” I grinned, feeling only a moment of pity for poor Friend. She hosted her parents for a few days and I offered my house if they wanted a little extra space. I don’t think my little structure is much larger than her apartment, but it does have 3 beds to her one. Alas, she only used my kitchen and back patio for grilling purposes. Yet I received a gleaming house with towels and bedding that smell of Snuggle, a kitchen full of clean dishes and bathrooms that have not – to my recollection – ever been that spotless.

“My mom gave me a look when I made your bed after washing the bedding.” She offered, and I thought for a mere moment before continuing to walk around, thinking about how pretty everything was. “I put on the fitted sheet, then the comforter, then folded the flat sheet.”

“Oh.” I smiled. “Yes, that is weird. But I don’t like flat sheets.”

“Yes,” she offered dryly, having seen me hunt for them when anyone sleeps over and needs a flat sheet. I have them, but I never use them. “I know. You’ve told me.”

So as I sighed at my belongings – unloaded from my trunk and piled in my bedroom – I began to unpack. It’s not nice to repay a favor by immediately cluttering my house. So all is unpacked and I am squeaky clean too. There’s nothing quite like my own shower with all my products. And towels! No worrying about how many I’m allowed to use (saving enough for Carrie and not wanting to create more laundry for Elle)! I only used one, but the thought that I could take every single one and pretend I was a terrycloth monster made me happy.

It is, I thought as I started to compose a blog post in my head so I could write tonight, then prepare to wake in the morning, make coffee and read what everyone else has written, wonderful to be known. To have spent enough time with Friend that she knows odd Katie trivia. To drag Carrie all over Chicago because I know she’ll tolerate it. To look at a picture of Elle and her Tom outside a fantastic gallery that displays their art and blink back tears at how perfect it is. Their creations share space with those of other talented people who see the world far differently than I do. And her husband looks at her in a certain way that indicates he really gets her and loves her dearly.

I have friends. Real, wonderful, beautiful friends. That’s not a small blessing.

I also now have time to myself. And while I will miss the people I love and look forward to celebrating Friend’s birthday tomorrow, I’m truly happy to have the quiet and comfort of my house and things and life.

Work tomorrow will include all those things that I’ve waved off for the past couple of weeks – it’s going to be rough. So I’ll bask a little tonight in my super-clean house and hope that tomorrow yields enough energy to deal with my job.