There is no place like home, and we were very happy to return to our home early yesterday afternoon. The drive home was uneventful and smooth and, though still long, faster than expected. After unloading the car, I went to sit on one of the dining room chairs to untie my shoes and immediately winced. The past week has made my low back very angry, particularly about sitting, which means the sitting tolerance I had gained over the past year or so has been reduced to rubble. It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night, but the back wasn't super comfortable there either. I guess that's what happens when you have basically been sitting in the car for 48 hours within 7 days and 30 of those hours were consecutive.

My husband slept very well last night; I did not. My back hurts. The burning/tingling/throbbing in my legs and feet is a bit stronger from all the sitting and angry back, and I've had a headache for most of the past 18 days. My dreams weren't warm and fuzzy.

Having been gone for an entire week, longer than planned, I had a lot to do today with catching up on housework, laundry, cleaning out the expired food from my fridge and trying to get some groceries, and a few other tasks. Unfortunately, the state of emergency that kept us stranded for the week also created a state of panic in some people, and many shelves at the grocery stores were empty. I was able to find some produce at one store but had to go to another to find some meat to get us through the week. Thankfully I had stocked up on eggs and butter before our trip.

At some point I will blog about our trip but still not this day. I am trying to process the entire situation, but I'm also finding it difficult while dealing with all the ordinary life tasks and preparing for going back to work tomorrow. Mental multi-tasking is even less effective than physical multi-tasking! And then I worry about what will happen emotionally when I am at work tomorrow. Everyone will be asking/talking about it. I know that my emotions will become highly unstable in that environment.

When I sat down to blog a few minutes ago, I had wanted to write about what we experienced this week but found myself unable to. I want to but I can't yet. Most of the time I prefer writing while the details are fresh. This situation feels different. I did journal during the past week, so I don't need to worry about losing details. I don't know, can't explain myself. My concept of time is out of whack right now. I still feel exhausted and numb and paralyzed, like I need to stay disconnected in order to protect myself. Distraction is easier.

At one point a few days ago, I told my husband that I was putting up the Christmas tree when we got home. Normally I'm not the sort of person to set up for Christmas before December, but I want as much joy and feel good moments as I can get. So, this morning, my husband brought the tree in from the garage, and it is currently in place in the living room. Still naked aside from the lights but it is there. For all that I want the tree up now, I don't have the energy to pull out the decorations today. Maybe Tuesday.

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