Nesting

Tidy "dining room"

I am not sure if it is the changing light that is responsible for the change in my biorhythms or simply my body's reaction to the absence of stress, but I am feeling a great urge to nest.  I am sleeping better than I have in perhaps years, and trying, not always successfully, to adapt to a new routine without feeling guilty.  Decades of needing to be up and out early have imprinted themselves onto my psyche and it's hard for me to think about not leaving the house until lunch or later.  

Kitchen ready for cooking

Yesterday I cleaned--really cleaned--my house.  I haven't a lot of room, so even the smallest bit of clutter can feel like chaos.  But I scrubbed and dusted and polished all morning long.  I don't want to do this every day, but it certainly was rewarding.  I felt uneasy at not leaving the house until after lunch, as I am used to getting out, at least to get the paper, early in the morning.  So I am learning some new patterns.  

Working in the living room, with laundry drying on the rack

Fresh flowers are NOT a luxury

After lunch, I went to market and returned with ingredients for chicken parmigiana.  My house was immaculate, and soon, dinner was in the oven and my little apartment smelled like a home.  I brewed a pot of tea and settled in for some writing.  It was misting a little outside and the ever-present afternoon wind was stirring the leaves of the tree outside my window.  I was (and am) filled with gratitude for such a perfect day in my nest.