I See

 

Yesterday was the kind of ordinary day that says very little about a person. I taught a class, gathered dirty towels to be washed, pulled meat out of the freezer, went shopping for some props, had a simple lunch, and then I raked some leaves. No one driving by knew who I was or how long I would be out there working. I raked by myself and thought back to the Saturdays I spent raking leaves in Massachusetts with Hannah and Glenn or Rachael and Shauna five falls ago. I had my iPod playing in one ear and I listened to the sounds of the neighborhood with the other. 

As I pulled the red garbage can along beside me, I found myself trying to figure out exactly how we used those sheets to contain the leaves before we dumped them into the woods behind the house. I never did figure that one out. I kept raking and scooping until the garbage can was full and then I drug it over in front of the garage where I left it until I figure out exactly what we're to do with leaves here. 

I went inside, took off my shoes, and laid down on the couch for a nap. When I finally woke up, I wasn't sure that I'd ever actually get up and make dinner...but then I did. The next hour was spent in the kitchen with my black notebook reminding me how to prepare Salisbury Steak and family drifting in and out to chat about the episode of America's Test Kitchen podcast that was playing. 

The salad was prepped, the potatoes were peeled and boiled and handed off to my sister to mash. Dinner was ready with just enough time to eat before we had to run out the door for another rehearsal. 

All day I was thinking about the Friday before it. I was in SC watching my brother graduate from police academy and then I was in his car driving back with him swapping songs and enjoying some time to be with him in person. There were two songs that I especially liked that day, but the one that I keep humming is Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire". We ate hamburgers with our Uncle George, Aunt Linda, Aunt Pauline, a few cousins, and my cousin's wife. On the outside, we looked like people who get to do that sort of thing aboslutely all the time. My brother and I made it back home just in time for me to whip up some garlic bread to go with our Dad's spaghetti which we ate around my aunt's dinner table to celebrate the graduation one more time.

Today is Saturday. It'll be ordinary and I'll be thinking about the time I got to spend with my Uncle George's family a week ago today. That day was spent cooking breakfast, watching home movies, playing apples to apples, talking about life with his boys, and watching my cousin's football game.

As I remember, I'll head back out to fill the red garbage can again and no one will even know how full the last week made me feel.