This morning, for the first time in over 3 weeks, I found myself at home and in no hurry.

At home. In. No. Hurry.

I did have that “you must be missing something important” feeling and watched my pulse jump with anticipation a few times before even 9:00 am, but sure enough, there was no place to rush off to, nothing to hurry and get done, nobody who needed a fast response, not even any pressing teenager needs to address.

I made the bed, and I mean completely and not just flipped up and turned back. I arranged all the absolutely unnecessary decorative pillows along the headboard and spread the absolutely unnecessary decorative blanket meticulously across the foot.

I sorted the laundry into neat piles, then fed them heap by heap into the washer and on to the dryer timely after each cycle throughout the morning between prayers and meditation, after and around getting myself cleaned up and ready for the day, through my straightening up the kitchen. Every stitch ultimately made it to a drawer or hanger in time.

My daughter and I drove out to pick up the dogs from the boarder and marveled at our German Shepard’s new skills (he got some behavior training while we were away last week). When we got back, I cleaned out the refrigerator completely, washed every shelf and drawer, and threw out most everything in anticipation of a fresh start. I planned our meals for the week, ordered groceries, updated the weekly planner on the fridge, and here we are!

All day long, I told myself, “You’re not in a hurry today.” I actually had to remind myself of this very important fact, which made me realize how deeply we settle into our “normal”, how we become programmed to DO and BE and GO, how doing and being and going happens so fast all while more DO, more BE, and more GO gets added in, repeated, scheduled, expected.

Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT AT ALL mad at that life. I’m not judging it. I don’t hate it. As a matter of fact, I thrive in it, I tend to seek it, and I can freaking rock it. But this…this not being in a hurry…this is alright.

Now…I didn’t mention that I came down with what was probably the flu about five days ago, which has since morphed into severe sinusitis and a double ear infection. (The opportunity to move a little more slowly has proven to be welcomed and appreciated in more ways than one!) And while I was leisurely doing laundry, picking up dogs, and cleaning out the fridge, my hubs came home from work and went straight to bed with the flu himself. I moved off all the absolutely unnecessary pillows from the headboard and the absolutely unnecessary blanket from the foot to get him in there, get him medicated, and get him to sleep.

But now that I’m not in a hurry, we can heal. I can feel better, I can help him feel better, and I can continue nesting and arranging, organizing and cleaning, ordering and stocking at my own pace, in my own time, at my leisure. Now that I’m not in a hurry, we can rest. Our immune systems are no doubt kaput, our bodies are exhausted, and our bellies are hungry for some mama food. Now that I’m not in a hurry, we can eat and take better care of ourselves.

Y’all, this isn’t what I thought the first few days of retirement from dance studio ownership would be like, but it is most definitely the situation of my dreams. Not in a hurry. A made bed. Clean clothes. A fully stocked, clean fridge. Sleepy dogs laying around. Moments of teenager happiness. Snotty and feverish. Together.

I’m in no hurry to be any place else.

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