A year and a half ago I packed up my books and kitchen
supplies and moved from our home in a suburb of Cleveland, OH to a suburb of
Washington, D.C. The Monday after I’d given notice at my job and the same day
my husband had started his new job in D.C., I fell down the stairs in our condo
and broke the bones in my foot so saying I “packed” and I “moved” is a bit of a
stretch, but got here I did. And for the next several months I spent most of my
time at the end of the couch in our new apartment where I could watch David
walk to and from the Metro stop. In May I had my first outing sans wheelchair,
boot, and crutches to George Washington’s Mount Vernon and while I wish I could
say there was no stopping me after that, I’d be lying. I’ve been slow to move.
And now we’re moving back to Cleveland, and I’m wishing I’d been a bit more
adventurous, thinking I haven’t made the best use of my time here.
I didn’t get to Politics & Prose, but I had a lovely
time and lunch at Kramerbooks and Afterwords Café with my sister-in-law. I went
to the National Portrait Gallery, but haven’t yet made it to the Smithsonian. I
never ever found a good pizza place. I finally made it to NYC – three times, to
be exact – but Annapolis and Philadelphia avoided my grasp. I haven’t stood in front
of the White House (or as near as one can get), but I have seen it from a
distance, and I did get to the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and
the Jefferson Memorial. Besides Mount Vernon, we also went to Monticello. And I
saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom on a perfect day in April. We took trips
to Istanbul and Israel, Barcelona, and France. I met some of David’s funny and
wonderful friends in Baltimore and Bethesda and made one friend of my own; I
just wish it had been sooner.
There were some terrific meals made in this high-rise
apartment and fortunately, not too many failures. Spicy Beer Braised Lime Chicken
Enchiladas, Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts, Campari Granita, Pomegranate Beef,
Cajun-Style Meatloaf , flank steak that set off the smoke alarm and had me
waving a tea towel for five minutes, and numerous homemade pizzas (see above).
And even more meals planned that never got made.
Since I moved into this apartment, 139 books have
been read and several television series have been started and finished. I saw
the end of Sons of Anarchy here and still rue the day. We’ve watched Homeland,
Prisoners of War, Luther, House of Cards, The Wire, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The
VEEP and several episodes of The Comeback (until I could no longer bear the pain).
And we’ve gone to some plays, both here and in NYC.
Reading back on this post, I just realized
something. It’s not what I didn’t get done. It’s what I did. And if we hadn’t
moved here, none of these adventures would have taken place. Life’s the same
way. You try to make the most of what you’re given and you can’t bemoan the
fact that you didn’t get done everything you set out to do. If you do, then
you’re really stuck. I don’t want to be stuck.
So in a few weeks we move back home. I may have
gotten in a couple more field trips and made two or three more memorable meals
before then, but I know I’m going on another adventure, I know I’m going to
read more books, and I know Cleveland has great pizza. I’m blessed.
