While I can certainly use an adjustment on my aching back, the biggest factor is getting used to a new way of life. We’ve come from a tiny Portland apartment crammed with furniture to a spacious home with none. The neighbors are actually further away but seem very close. It was rare when I ran into them each day in the halls and lobby, but now I actually see them out and about in their yards or garages. Some are open and friendly but most prefer to keep their distance. We each have our own routines and we’re now simply a disruption to their lives. Construction goes on around us but the neighborhood is relatively quiet, unlike the noisy hectic streets of Portland where our sleep was often interrupted with early morning garbage collection, busy restaurants, and busses. 

We took on the three grandkids yesterday – a major adjustment in our lives. It was an exhausting endeavor with each of us getting used to the other. We swam in our pool for awhile and then went to the warmer clubhouse setting. Noodles were flailed and warnings issued. We were the only family with kids, but fortunately the kiddos were mostly well behaved. My wife then took the soon to be 3-year old to the playground where she proceeded to show-off her daring self. Finally, it was pizza shared in our empty living room where even a chair is hard to find. We were more than ready for their dad to pick them up, so we could once again return to our peaceful existence. Our dog was kept locked in the bedroom, not quite ready to deal with the trio of new faces. 

It was another restless night, each of us with our aches and pains, trying to get used to a new bed and TV that somehow turned itself back on in the middle of the night. Everything is strange, but mostly the hollow echo of an empty house. Voices ricochet off the walls, plus it’s difficult to get comfortable. Hopefully, we’ll get a status update next week on our belongings – still stuck in the Portland warehouse. Today is be nice to Tally day, so maybe another trip to the dog beach is in order – anything to distract from the unsettling feelings of being separated from your stuff. Tally surely misses her chair to curl up in, the familiarity of the apartment, and the cozy feeling of rugs to stretch out on rather than cold, hard tile floors. All in all, our Florida lives are now just one big adjustment.