The past two weeks have been hectic ones, full of emotional
highs and lows.
One of the emotional highs was a weeklong visit from Jen’s
younger brother, Chris. He flew into New York the evening of August 31st,
and returned to Seattle the morning of September 8th. During his
visit, Jen and I took time off from work to show him around the city. We both
enjoyed our time as “tour guides,” and exploring the city with Chris reminded
us of all the reasons why we enjoy living here. Some of the highlights we hit
included the jazz scene, the museums, a baseball game, the food, and a Broadway
show. Chris also got a kick out of eavesdropping on the colorful locals during
our treks around town.
Chris’s visit also brought one of the emotional lows, since
our cat, Geoffrey, took ill during that week. His illness kept me home during
one of our planned jazz excursions, and that illness led to a trip to the vet.
That led to two days in vet hospitals, visits to a specialist, and a plethora
of pills, liquids and injections. A large sum of money later, we have a
diagnosis of pancreatitis linked to a chronic gastro-intestinal illness, which
caused a flare-up of our cat’s diabetes. These conditions can all be managed to
give Geoffrey a longer, happier life, and that’s a relief. We had to put our
other cat, Maya, down last November because she had cancer. We’re not ready to
be a household without pets.
I’m not sure if this is a high or low on life’s
rollercoaster, but I’m a few weeks into my poetry writing class. So far, I’m
enjoying the class, although the weekly lectures have underscored just how
little I know about writing poetry. I’m enjoying the exercises, although I’m
not at all pleased with the work I’ve produced. I’m trying to remind myself
that I’m a beginner as a poet, and this class is helping me lay the groundwork
for future efforts. It’s hard to keep that perspective on things, though, when
I’m such a perfectionist.
The weather and temperatures are hinting that autumn is
coming. While I love autumn, it’s also the time of year when things get hectic
in the legal world, which means Jen spends more hours either in the office or
working from home. I suppose I should be used to the rhythms of the legal
calendar by now, but it still catches me by surprise each fall. I think one of
the biggest frustrations about her longer hours is that autumn marks the start
of the new theatre season. That means a lot of shows start up, but it’s harder
for us to see them since we’re never sure what her schedule might be.
All in all, though, life in the Nichols-Simon household is
going well. Life is a journey, and we’re both trying to remember to embrace the
trip, not the destination.
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