On the bright side...Me, next

My duties here are taking much longer than I'd thought, or hoped, they would. Which means I am living in my hometown much longer than I'd planned, or hoped, to. One of the things slowing me down is all of the appliances are breaking down, one after another. First the hot water heater, then the washer AND dryer. Now the dishwasher, and it looks like the fridge is next.

Of course, they're all too old or broken to be repaired. So they're being replaced, one by one...after causing a good bit of inconvenience.

On the bright side, I'm going out of town for the day to take my mother to lunch and a movie. She really wanted to go back to New Orleans, but I'm so tired of packing for one night and making the drive back and forth. I have stuff to do here and I really want to get it done as soon as possible. So we're going to the closest town large enough to have a movie theater. Still an hour away, but it's a pretty day for a drive.

Other good things include getting a lot done, even if it is taking a while. I have 3 digital To Do lists, of varying lengths, and I'm not deleting items once they're done. Seeing all the items crossed off is evidence of what I've accomplished, and I need to see it when I'm feeling like nothing is happening fast enough.

Also good is that I'm delegating almost everything except the personal care of my mother, including our meals. I used to do most, if not all, of the heavy lifting when necessary - both literally and metaphorically. This time, I'm letting others do the actual physical work while I organize and supervise. Much easier. Much better. Still work, and a little stress, but also way faster and more effective.

Once I find the right people to take over my mother's personal care, and have the house ready for them to move in, my work here will be done. There are other things that could be started at that time, but I have decided to save them for when I come to visit.

I'm looking at, hopefully, not more than another few weeks here. I don't know exactly where I'll be going after that. But I'll be more than ready to go. And I feel like I will be able to go without any feelings of guilt whatsoever. Because, for once, both of my daughters seem to be doing just fine on their own and I will have done as much as humanly possible to set my mother up comfortably.

So, at that point, it will be my turn.