#2899 three things: Dixon update, a rough year, and the walk

First thing...each of these topics could be an entire post in itself. I will attempt to keep them brief and related to each other. 

1. Dixon update. This is the first month since September that I have not traveled to Dixon. That certainly doesn't mean that nothing is happening. Most of the month has been spent waiting on the county to approve the well permit. The permit was issued last week, so we are ready to proceed. The driller needs a tree to be trimmed, but the tree is actually dead and covered with trumpet vines, so it is coming down tomorrow, then the driller will determine a day to begin the drilling process. I'm told it will take about a week. After that comes the pump installation, hook-ups to the existing waterlines, and potability testing. All of that will be done by the pump company. After all that is done and water is running in the house, I would expect the house to be listed on the MLS and hopefully it will be sold fairly quickly. Crossing my fingers. 

2. A rough year. Since my uncle passed away in July last year, I have taken on a lot of the responsibility for my aunt and the property. Sometimes I have felt overwhelmed. I am so thankful for all the help and support from MT, Lizzie, Mama, Rick, and David. I'm also thankful to my doctor for prescribing anti-anxiety medication. I often wonder how I would have managed without it. I'm sure there would have been a lot more tears and more physical ramifications. It wasn't just the monthly trips to Dixon and the worries about Mary, Lee, Bettie, and the property. I had a heavy load at work as well, plus my commitment to volunteering at Red Butte Garden. Of course something had to give, and volunteering got the short shrift last year, but I still had over 100 hours there, which was about half the hours from the previous year. 

Looking back through my journal, I often noted how tired I felt, and how I didn't feel well physically, mentally, or emotionally. I didn't sleep well or long. I ate poorly, relying on take-out often because I was too worn out to prepare a meal at home, or sometimes even get to the grocery store.  Another thing is that my body decided it was time to menopause. As a result of all that, I gained nearly 20 pounds in these 10 months. I fucking hate it. I feel every one of those pounds on my body. The good news is that I finally feel like I'm in a good spot to take better care of myself with healthier food choices and exercise.

3. The Walk. On Pinterest I saw a cute, helpful pin about taking care of yourself. I'm terribly surprised I didn't pin it because usually I do, and now of course I can't find it. Anyway, the first thing on the list was to walk 30 minutes a day. You would think this would be so easy. When I'm on vacation, I think nothing of pulling on some shoes and going for a walk. Why is it that here at home I think I must put on some exercise clothes and have just the right shoes? After overthinking this for a few days, I decided to just go for a walk. Today it happened. It's not that simple though, is it? Not for me.

It was lunchtime and I figured I'd take about 15 or 20 minutes to walk. I decided not to take the dogs because I just wanted to be quick. I headed up the street and crossed the road to walk on a little path between houses. I got to the end of the path, and I'd only been walking for about five minutes, so I turned right and walked through a nice neighborhood.  Pretty soon I felt a bit disoriented. I wasn't lost, but I wasn't exactly sure where I was in relation to my house. I finally came to a place I recognized, a school, and I turned up the street knowing I'd get to the street light and I'd know exactly where I was and how long it would take to get home. Turns out I grossly miscalculated the distance between the school and the stoplight. I'd been walking for about 20 minutes, and I was still a good 10-15 minutes from home, all up a slight-but-steady hill. Oh, and did I mention the pollen count was high and it was humid (for here?) I was a gasping, snotty, watery-eyed mess of a woman those last 10 minutes.

In the end, I was out for nearly 40 minutes and I walked nearly two miles. It was a bit more than I wanted to do right off the bat, but there you have it.  Now I just need to limit my visits to Crumbl and take-out places, and get to bed at a reasonable time. I got this, right?