Couched in Comfort

We've been in our new house for more than four months now. We started with beds, four bean bag chairs, and some folding tables. In early January we got a dining room table. It was glorious to have a place to eat together. On Sunday we finally purchased a couch for our living room. Now we have a place to sit together all snuggled up.

One little step at a time we make this house more of a home. When we got here, we were just so overwhelmed with gratitude to have a roof that was our own again furniture was an afterthought. Then it became a chore to try and find affordable perfection.

Back in March of 2017, I wrote every day about things that were not mine. It was a healing journey of memory and gratitude for what I had lost but also for what we had gained and held on to.

I still reach for the missing light switches that were once here but are now in different places. I still reach for the laundry chute that is no more. But right now I've got my feet up and feel comfortable as ever.

Train of Thought: Cold to Kramer

It was a cold day today. The kind of cold day that started bearably and then became face freezing suddenly so it somehow felt colder. My room was blowing cold air most of the day so I had this core temperature issue that was difficult to resolve. It reminded me of a Seinfeld episode from my college days when Kramer's core temperature drops after falling asleep in a hot tub after the heater breaks. He goes days unable to get warm.

This is the kind of thing that would only happen to a character like Kramer. This thought led me to a realization that within my realistic fiction unit with students, I could create a believable character while still have unbelievable situations occur for the purpose of humor and tone. I laughed to myself as I thought about creating a Kramer-like character who slides into entries, kicks up his legs in greeting, and wears eight sweaters when he's cold. A quirky yet loveable character. My students are so eager to get creative and step outside the rules of our unit of study we might just need a character like Kramer to help break the mold.

Also, I think I need more sweaters.