Day of Rest

At 10:30 last night, as I lay down in bed, my body knew it had been thru a long day.  The entire drive 200-mile from Charleston to Charlotte, and the night there before my flight, went flawlessly.  I was up yesterday before 5am (3am Phoenix time) to catch my flight, all the elements cooperated, and I landed in Phoenix by noon.  It's nice to be home.

I think of myself having 2 homes - my Yin and my Yang - as the Valley is the other half of that combination.  The elements that brought me here with my wife and son in the mid-1990's always seem to call me back.  Part of it is the comfort level I have with the area, part of it is the wonderful friends I've got here, part of it is memories from over the years, and part of it is - well - something I can't explain.  The Charleston area has become home for me in recent years, but the Valley has never lost its grip on part of that in me as well.

I am approaching what I have come here to do in a very rational way, or at least I'm trying to.  The fact that my "things" have been in a storage unit here has maintained a foothold, and I've been able to justify it by explaining to myself in one of two ways - (1) I haven't had the time to come and get it and (2) I may end up back here in some capacity someday so it's just waiting for me.  There is a significant element of bittersweet considering that once I pack it up and take it away it will be the first time in nearly a dozen years that I haven't had that foothold.  This trip is more emotional for me than I'll admit here.  I need a good cry.

My electrologist, Maria, picked me up and took me to her office so I could shower and get out of my comfy "travel" clothes.  I never understood why so many people seem to dress up for long drives or flights - it seems to me that that's a time for practical, comfortable clothes - but that's a whole other topic.  Typically, I'm in gym clothes or something similar on my travels.

I visited my doctor - Dr. Fisher - yesterday afternoon.  He played a major role in my transition and I just stopped by to see how he's doing and to say 'hi'.  I first started seeing him 15 years ago - seems like a lifetime ago in many ways.  Anyway, it was great to see him and reconnect.

Maria arranged a dinner with some of my dear friends here.  By the time we all met my body was telling me it was bed time but it was still early here.  I don't have that same level of friendship with so many people in any other city.  Perhaps that's a big reason why I still feel so at home here.

In Phoenix: Dinner with dear friends at Chelsea's Kitchen

Today is a day to rest.  I need some time from the pace of the last couple of weeks to catch my breath before the next part of this begins.  One friend thought it was interesting that I actually schedule time to rest and catch my breath, but I've learned from experience that it's an important element of these kinds of long-term, difficult, things.  If I don't schedule it, it just won't happen.  But, one of the things I really enjoy about my friends is that they're up to doing fun things.  I'm going to a Barre class with Laura this afternoon, and playing tennis this evening.  I'll worry about some of the other things that need to happen while I'm here after my "down" time.

Back home in South Carolina ex-governor Mark Sanford won the Congressional Runoff election for my district over the sister of Stephen Colbert (story here).  Sanford had been governor until he disappeared for a few days and said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail when in fact he had gone for a short tryst in South America to see his mistress there.  The ensuing scandal and subsequent resignation made national news and his political career was left for dead.  But here he is...back in office again.  I'm not exactly sure what that says about politics, or forgiveness, or short memories, or South Carolina in general.  All I know is that if I were there to vote (instead of on a plane) I wouldn't have voted for him.