At the end of the day

This little graphic of a danger sign warning people to stay away from a drive train of some big mangle-type machine is about what my brain feels like now at the end of a full day.

The day started off with making a bunch of phone calls to Spain to make reservations for *NEXT* week and beyond. We will be over there during Pentecost weekend, which also coincides with nation-wide municipal (mayoral) elections. We wanted to have a roof over our heads for that weekend. We will — one of them is a Cistercian abbey that can sleep 78 tired pilgrims. In any event, making those calls is a challenge for someone who doesn't even like making phone calls in English. Compound it with Castillian Spanish, un poco diferente not only in pronunciation but also in expressions (I forgot that when people pick up the phone there, they say: ¡Diga!)

I had an easy conversation with someone for two hours, a good meeting of minds, nothing tiring, enjoyable.

Then a quick trip to Montpelier to pick up from the dry cleaners the retired velvet drapery from the columbarium, so that I can take it to El Salvador where it can find a new life in vestments or dossal or whatever accoutrements folks might like to do with them.

Back here to row. Few people have submitted distances/times since it's the beginning of the online rowing season. Since I have just entered my age bracket, I am second/third depending on which times one goes by (whoohoo, big deal) in the 5000m row. I would like to do before I leave a 10K row because I could probably get myself as second there, too. Might as well enjoy turning 50.

Then a meeting on my front porch in the spring sunshine with two people from the congregation. With the forsythia out and the crab apple tree about to burst into bloom, it seemed a pity to go inside, so we dragged out some folding chairs and met on the porch.

And then the evening meeting which is what did my brain in and makes it think as though it and, more so, my heart have been run through a mangle. There's some systemic stuff and tonight I had a major insight into a piece of it. I don't have clarity on where to go with this information but I have identified at least what someone else's behaviour and words trigger within myself and that is a big help.

So, now, I try to let go, let be, and wind down.