On Love, In Sadness

(The title of this post is borrowed from a Jason Mraz song which has nothing to do with the actual post, but the title will make sense given the second to last paragraph, so just keep reading.)

My mother has wooden cabinets in her kitchen, and I remember as a child helping her wash them once or twice a year with Murphy's Oil Soap. Fast-forward. I've lived with hardwood floors the past 3 years in my condo and for a year before that in my first Chicago apartment with Marianne and in that time I've used various swiffer products to keep them clean. Well, a few weeks ago I bought a bucket at the store so yesterday I mixed up a batch of Murphy's Oil Soap (left under the sink by the previous owner) and water and gave my kitchen, office, and hallway a good mopping. Impressed with myself (and being on a roll) I continued to rearrange and organize the back office into what is now a functional work space (albiet one with a pile of items to be donated to local charitable resale stores).

We had brunch this morning. It was a small but fun crowd, and for once we didn't have tons of leftovers! As usual, after brunch, I had no interest in doing anything else all day. So I forced myself to tackle some paperwork for tech tomorrow, unload the dishwasher and wash the remaining dishes, throw a load of laundry in, send out a resume, and make a few calls.

I have a few friends who have been having a rough week, and it's taken a bit of a toll on me. Two of them are having heart trouble: one must wear a monitor for 30 days, one might need a pacemaker or be treated with ablation. These friends, by the way, are 31 and 40, respectively (waaaay too young, in my book, to be having heart troubles). One friend's mother is ill (I don't know what she has, but I'm pretty sure it's bad). One friend's father had a lung transplant. One friend lost a loved-one to leukemia. It is times like this that I hate living so far away from some of my dear friends. I hate the feeling of helplessness I always get when friends or their loved-ones are sick or suffer a loss. But I'm also thankful that I am so empathetic and that I've never been afraid to tell people that I love them.

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the Moon. It is also my father's birthday. Happy Birthday, Daddy! I love you.