Yesterday

Yesterday was different. Tom got home from working all night, went to bed, then I got him up a bit after noon, he got ready, then drove us, by way of the New York State thruway, to the airport so he could fly to Richmond for the weekend.

Unless it's a dire, can't-escape-it emergency, I never, ever, myself, drive behind-the-wheel over the New York State thruway. No way. Nope. Forget it.

No, when I drive people to the airport, I take my Secret Back Way. The Back Way gobbles-up lots more time, has tons more traffic lights and is more crowded with cars, yes, but! Those cars are driving slower.

 Crowded traffic is one thing, but crowded, speeding-recklessly-past-you traffic is quite another. At least to me. 

Besides, my Secret Back Way does have a lovely stretch of woods (though this time of year, they resemble the scary woods of The Village) and a quiet road and old houses. Always, I feel my shoulders relax when I reach that part--it also means I'm nearly home.

So yesterday there I was in those heaps of traffic, at only 1:30 in the afternoon, yet it looked and felt like 5:00 because of the clouded, dark, dark skies. I pulled off from the slow madness, into the Target parking lot and parked rather far away. Once inside, oh my, people scrambled everywhere and it felt like Christmas, but not the good part of Christmas, if you know what I mean. 

I went inside only to look for the dvd version of Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version, but of course) because I gave away my taped version, procrastinated all year ordering the dvd, and I always watch that movie while making Thanksgiving dinner in our kitchen. I'll be alone for 12 hours on Thanksgiving Day, so while I am cooking, I like to have movie friends in the kitchen with me.

Well, Target, like everywhere else I'd look, didn't have that dvd, most likely because a new version is set to be released next week. So in the midst of all the noise, lots of it happy noise, thankfully, I decided to stop searching store shelves for it and just order it online. Which is what I should have done in the first place. But I did find some plastic sleeves for those binders I'm always making and telling you about.

Then I walked back out into the dark afternoon and continued driving home, except that I didn't go home, I drove, instead, twenty minutes later, to our (also-crowded) town library (was there no school yesterday?) where hooray! I found a tape of Miracle on 34th Street, as well as another Christmas movie and various old tv series dvd's. While Tom is away, I will major-ly clean our house, tearing it apart in that clean-it-deep-down way, and these shows will help to pass the time pleasantly.

It's good for me to get out into the Real World like that. 

To be reminded of what it's like and who's all out there. I even, as I drove along, had a debate with myself as to what the Real World actually is. Is it my (or your) daily version of Life that makes up our own Real World? Or is the Real World a huge combination of everything, good, bad, and ugly which is taking place all over the planet? Or are they both the same? I never did decide.

So this weekend I'll clean my house in case Tom arrives back home all antsy to sell our house and move to Virginia. Or maybe just because it needs to be cleaned anyway or because this is the only  project I can think of while Tom's away. 

But it's a good one. 

I may even paint a couple walls which need touching-up. All I know is that I'm looking forward to scrubbing this old place which I've called home for 13 mostly-wonderful years. It's the least I can do to show my thanks.



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