Relative Something

I am back to sleeping in the master bedroom! Yahoo! I am amazed and thrilled at the rate of progress on this project. The painters were already prepared for the carpet crew to start yesterday, and the carpet guys showed up earlier than anticipated, successfully completing all of the work that was possible in this first phase.

I wasn’t sure I would be able to get furnishings moved right away last night without help, but after learning my first two contacts weren’t available, I gave it a shot. I felt motivated enough to take on the struggle to get the king-size mattress out of the room it had been stashed in, and drag it down the hall to the master bedroom. That was the hardest part. The rest of the task to get me a place to sleep upstairs turned out to be well within my ability to manage on my own.

I am very, very pleased to be out of that library sleeping situation.

Yesterday I was fretting over the color choice the painters were suggesting for the areas on our main floor that had previously been whiter. They felt the shade that we have used in the upstairs bedrooms would work well in the kitchen. They talked me into it. I think they were right.

I am also pleased with the look of the new carpet and how it fits with the wall color I selected from the two options the painter offered. Whew! That is a relief. I was fretting that one.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what I think. And that’s the hardest part for me. These decisions are being made to appeal to some strangers that are going to be looking to buy this house to live in themselves. That has made me more inclined to go with the suggestions being offered to me, even when they don’t feel like the choice I would make for me. Time will tell whether buyers approve, or not!

Some before and after shots…

The house project is making good progress, but it involves a level of disruption that I failed to anticipate. I think I let myself become over-satisfied with what I thought was an impressive level of preparation I had achieved. I had pictures down off the walls. The furniture that could be removed was removed. I figured it was ready for paint.

When I got home from the day-job yesterday, I saw the level of preparation a professional painting company goes through to do a job right. Light fixtures have been removed, and the wires capped off. Plastic has been taped up over every surface that doesn’t get paint. The kitchen sink has paper taped over the faucets. I can’t open the cupboards to my dishes because of the plastic taped over them.

I hadn’t honestly considered the details of this level of the project in the kitchen and main floor bathroom, and I’m now having second thoughts about my idea of living here throughout the entire job.

Luckily, the two upstairs bedrooms appear to be done. The painters have removed all the tape, plastic, and tarps. This afternoon, a floor covering company is scheduled to put new carpet in those rooms. My original hope was to move my bed back into the master bedroom, and then empty the last two upstairs bedrooms of furniture by transferring it all to the two finished rooms. Then the drywall crew comes back and we start this whole process again.

At this point, I just don’t know when I will have things moved to allow the next phase to start. This weekend, Cyndie is coming home for a visit. That may, or may not, help progress. I’m not sure.

I’ll find out today whether we can overlap painting and new carpet installation. Will they really be able to bring in new carpet while the painters are working on the main floor? It might be easiest to take a screen out of an upstairs window, and pass new carpet up from outside.

It’s just part of the adventure, you know?

I know it is a logical guideline to eat three meals a day. There are 24 hours in a day, and we are supposed to sleep around 8 of those, so the remaining hours are divided for our intake of nourishment. The digestion process is not instantaneous. Time is required to break down the nutrients and distribute them to the appropriate body part or organ. It just doesn’t work to take in a day’s worth of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and fats all at once.

Regardless my goal of seeking optimal health, left on my own, especially on weekends, I frequently fail to achieve the recommended 3-meal routine.

Certainly, the fact that I don’t like to prepare meals, must account for part of this deficiency. But beyond that, I just can’t get myself to make it a priority with the time I have available in a day, even though I know better.

One of the problems for me, is the fine line that exists between ‘optimal’ and ‘good enough.’ I liken it to the more extreme versions of why people will smoke tobacco, drive distracted, ingest intoxicants, or be sexually promiscuous. The ultimate consequences are not immediately apparent. It doesn’t seem to be harmful in the moment.

I have found it rather easy in my life to eliminate obvious unhealthy actions, like smoking, eating an unhealthy diet, and not getting exercise. Just like sanding and polishing a sculpture, after you take care of the big flaws, the ones that previously appeared insignificant, suddenly stand out. In the grand struggle of survival, it is not a big deal to skip a meal. But, it is something I could improve, which is the whole point, when working a path toward optimal health.

Eat healthy and enjoy your meals today, …all of them!

It’s only been two nights of NHL’s Stanley Cup playoff hockey, and I’m completely consumed by it, regardless the fact my team from Minnesota didn’t even come close to qualifying. So much for getting anything else done. Every game is being broadcast by the NBC networks. That’s probably why I found myself up too late the last two nights: because the games were on TV! There’s nothing like playoff hockey.

Progress on the house continues, and there is new paint on some surfaces. Mostly, there is tape on all the trim. Seems like painting is the smaller part of this job. Most of the time is spent preparing to paint.

I’m chipping away at the landscape work and quickly feeling the absence of Cyndie’s handiwork around our yard. Don’t know how I’m gonna keep up. It is a little weird working on things in the yard with the thought in mind that I may not be around to see it all reach full growth. An article in yesterday’s newspaper was highlighting the upswing in home sales. The guys working on fixing up our house all seem to feel it will sell quick.

One of our painters brought a flyer for his father’s horse property after he heard our plans. I can’t wait until Cyndie visits so we can talk over the pros and cons of the 8+ properties that are currently on our radar.

This weekend, Julian and his house-mate are visiting Cyndie and exploring Boston. Then, next week, Cyndie will be home for a few days. I am hoping to have painting completed in two bedrooms upstairs, and new carpet installed. If we don’t get our bed set up again, we’ll probably be staying at her parent’s house. The little twin I set up in the library will not cut it for two of us.

I am counting my blessings today. Sure, we should do that every day, but it seems more pertinent in light of three situations I learned about yesterday.

It all started when the name of a friend and former coworker was discovered in the obituary column of the local newspaper. That was followed by word of two different instances of couples separating.

It’s unsettling.

I am growing more comfortable with my circumstance of having my wife live in Boston while she works for the city’s public schools, as I remain in Minnesota and work my day-job, and prepare our home for being put up for sale.

Difficulties I face here seem a lot less significant in comparison to the tough news I’m learning about others. I wish it made my struggle over which color paint to pick for the bedrooms, a little easier. It doesn’t seem as important to me as it did a day ago, but a decision still evades me.

Regardless, I have many blessings for which I am feeling very grateful. I’m making a point today, to count them.