Back-to-Work

There's a tangible energy in the house when people spend a large part of their days there. The sounds of guitar picking and strumming behind a closed door; a band practising in the garage; the hum of a computer; the grolaungh of the washing machine and sloosh of water pumped out; heat on the growing grass; senile dog thinking she should have a bit of a bark; rain - sometimes soft, sometimes heavy; the depth of thought in solving an electronic challenge; hum and clatter of the pool cleaner; sneezing of the hayfever sufferer; contentment of companionship; security and awareness of who's coming in and out and the satisfaction of life lived fully and significantly. But today there's silence. Almost like a vacuum, in spite of the noises of Monday chores. The energy is dispersed to other places - medical campus, main campus, vacation work... And it leaves the house (and me) feeling deserted. I'd have thought I'd be used to it by now - Mondays being my sabbath - but I'm not - don't know if I ever will be. The shrinking energy levels are just so noticeable - especially with my first two sons out of the house and living elsewhere. But the peace is still there. I suppose that's what getting older is all about - letting go of that which energized in the past and seeking new directions for energy .