Step 15: CO, Downtime-April 1-April 9

Back in the Valley.

The first few days I was back home were recovery time; I slept in, or if I didn’t sleep in I’d take naps later in the day to make up for it. I watched movies in my parent’s bed with our dog Nica. Time at home also allowed me to fully appreciate how awesome my parents new house was and how happy they were there.

View of backyard and back side of my parents beautiful new home

Besides rest I went to yoga. I went hiking. I played cribbage with my dad. The first weekend I was home was Easter weekend and my sister and dad made are really nice brunch for the family on Sunday morning. I expected things to be different for some reason, but nothing really was. We all sat around the table as if I hadn’t been away for 17 months and resumed life around the dinner table just as it has always been.

Before I left for Japan I owned 1/2 a house with my friend Emily. I rented my room out before I left but the renter didn’t work out and Emily and I decided to sell the house for an assortment of reasons. It was a bit of a mad dash of a sell and left my parents and sister with the mess of packing up and storing all my stuff.

Em and I in our old 'yard'. We had a pretty awesome view from our house in Woody Creek

One of my ‘chores’ while home was cleaning out, and attempting to eliminate, as much storage as possible…most of which was at my sister’s place. My father’s daughter…I am definitely guilty of being quite the hoarder. My attachment to memories associated to this ‘stuff’ is debilitating when it comes down to letting stuff go.

So, interspersed between hikes, yoga, family time, and sleep were hours spent with all these collected clothes and things trying one by one to decide their fate.

Besides my family I didn’t see many people the first week I was home. But, I was able to connect with my friend Kate as we walked up the Smuggler trail in anything but hiking clothes…in fact she may have been in Ugg boots of some sort and jeans if I recall correctly. Amidst our laughter was also a lot of tears and we only made it a 1/4 of the way up before finding a spot to sit down out of the way and get a good chat on.

Kate is my Libra little sister! She is one year, and 10 days younger than me but the month of our birth is far from the only common life arrangements we have been tossed into. In fact, of our ‘group’ of friends she’s the only one who can even slightly understand what it was like growing up the way I did. Kate is a survivor and has a deep beauty like non I’ve seen anywhere else in my life. You cannot help but fall in love with Kate…her spirit has an essence about it that we all need a bit more of.

Kate and I swingin' at Carbondale Fair Summer 2007

It was great to be around her and hear about all the challenges she was facing, and the way she had…as she always has done…dealt with them in her own particular kind of grace and honesty. Starting an apron making business, working on organic farms, trying to open up a juice bar. She goes after a different kind of success than any of my other friends; she goes after the success we all wish we had the balls to go after.

It was a great first week at home but at the same time I had to deal with some things that were coming into light back in Japan; some things that were shaking up my ideas with a bit of reality.
Thankfully I would be heading to Denver with my family for a fun weekend back outside of reality...Mile High, here we come!