The Lasts, The Firsts, The In-Betweens

My daughter's friends are trickling off to college.  We begin the drive in exactly two weeks.  A two day road trip each way.  Lots of firsts and lasts and in-betweens.

We are moving

Through “The Lasts”

Only of course

They are also

“The Firsts”

And even

“The In-Betweens”

Last night

My daughter

My beloved

Spent a night on the town.

I stayed home

Watched TV

Home improvement shows

And

Criminal Minds.

I opened the doors

To the backyard,

Listened to

Night noises.

This morning I got up

Before the creatures of the night

My daughter

My beloved.

I opened the doors,

Listened to blue jays,

Pondered the two

Sound asleep

Upstairs.

Whether this is part of

The Lasts

The Firsts

Or even

The In-Betweens

Remains

To be experienced.

Longer beginning

Some days require a longer beginning.  I skipped the workout this morning because it would have meant too many morning transitions.  God willing I will work out later, after my morning meetings.  Now I write, drink coffee, contemplate the cat.

I stayed home to write,

Claimed a longer beginning

To the day.

Later this morning

I have three meetings scheduled

In a row.

All need me

Focused

So I am here at home.

I do one thing at a time

From my chair.

Now it involves

Coffee and writing.

This is my longer beginning

No sudden transitions.

We consider the day

The cat and I.

I write.

He slits his eyes,

The morning nap.

I slowly move on

To cereal with fruit.

Whole megillah

I was going to title this Chunks,  but it really is about the whole megillah, the whole of everything, every jot and tittle.  One thing shifts and of course everything else needs to shift.

Awareness comes

In chunks

It seems.

One piece shifts

Allows room

For the whole megillah

To shift,

Settle into new order.

Chunks fall into place

Next to the old pieces.

New sense is made

Of the whole

Even as I struggle

To understand

What it all means.

I marvel at

What this chunk looks like

Next to that chunk.

Even as I wonder

At the shift

In the whole megillah.

Support

The Clinic is undergoing a whole lot of change.  Transition is an understatement.  Following the staff support group on Tuesday, we looked at the chairs, arranged in a circle for the group, and thought to put them back the way they had been.  We didn*t.   We put them back in a different way, so people might talk with one another while they wait for services.  I have no idea what happened to the chairs on Wednesday.  I do know there was energy present in the room when we left.  I believe it has something to do with mutual support.

Sometimes support means

Simply

To gather the wherewithal

To switch

The seating arrangement.

Sometimes

All that is required

Is to offer a different seat,

Something as simple

As sitting

In a different place.

I have done this before

Myself.

Now I counsel others

To consider the same thing.

Sometimes the first step

To regain control

Is to determine

Where to sit,

Only then  

May we grant to others

The very same

Possibility.