Sanity In A Cup Of Coffee

I pretty much holed myself up this entire week.  Not the healthiest, nor the most productive, but it felt nice to just keep my own company.  Until it didn't.  When a friend last night suggested grabbing coffee this afternoon I jumped at the chance....then she got sick and canceled today.  So I was resigned to spending another day around the house, mildly irritated because I got a parking ticket (in front of my own house thanks to the wack-a-doo city) because I forgot it was Friday.  Then tonight I decided, forget this, I'm going to go grab coffee.  The Starbucks near a local college campus is open until 11.  So I headed out with Cold Mountain (never read it, decided it was time), and sat down with coffee, grabbing the last seat in the place because while normally on a Friday night it's dead, bigger tests are coming up and there was study groups galore.

I got about 55 pages into the book, drank 2 cups of coffee (the second one free), and relaxed.  After realizing that I have not indeed eaten any actual meals in the past few days, rather picking at something here and there, and that at 9 p.m. all I had eaten today was a little bit of chips and homemade salsa and a handful of grape tomatoes I decided to grab one of their sandwiches.  Still Friday, so I got the mozzarella with sundried tomatoes and spinach on ciabatta with pesto.  Delish!  I will be keeping these things on hand because it completely hit the spot. 

I found sanity while I sat there listening to the group next to me discuss thyroids for a test.  The hardest part of G's deployment has been the quiet, the lack of being around someone else.  He shared with me that the other day he had such a vivid image of just coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around me that it felt real and he was a little sad when he snapped out of it.  I knew what he meant.  Moving around the kitchen I sometimes flash back to him there.  So to counteract it I'm learning to say, "yes, I need out of this house."  I suggested tonight to my friend that instead of coffee we should grab lunch at this Chinese place we both love tomorrow as a way to force me up and out at a normal hour of the day. 

And I'm headed to D.C. this weekend for the last of the Cherry Blossom Festival and to see some museums I've not seen yet.  I've also joined a bocce league and we're planning to practice before our first real game at the end of this month.  That will quite a bit of socializing as we're headed out for drinks after every game.  Add in brunches, and hopefully knitting and calligraphy lessons and I will slowly start adding in more activities that get me out amongst people while still leaving plenty of me time and time to work around the house.  Spring is nearly here (technically or not, it's still winter cold), and I'm ready to throw open the windows and let some fresh air into my life.