Boston author and Grub Street director, Christopher Castellani was interviewed in the Sunday Boston Globe newspaper. He had read the book, Middlemarch around the same time as I did, and I found it amazing that an old epic novel had been resurrected by someone else. I loved that he mentioned it, like a mysterious bond between two strangers.
I call the Middlemarch time in my life- the hours of peace and indulgence with that book on my lap- the time of transforming love. The steady, committed reading began in early February in earnest. During that time I really grew to appreciate everything about my house- the comfortable, regal wing chair in which I sat for hours, the more than sufficient light from a bamboo pole lamp next to me- the only light in the room as the day turned into night, and the one big, fat, (ruby!) candle next to me which burned all the time as if I needed no other companion. I could not go downstairs to my office for fear of the stairs, so my world had become smaller but was just as content. All I needed was on that one floor- the kitchen where my husband waited on me as if I were a queen, the full bathroom, where I could sit in the tub to wash, and the bedroom where we have our TV for watching good movies, (over and over- why not?)
I believe that as my foot healed and I worked through the different phases of trying to walk with one crutch instead of two, going up and down the stairs on my seat, holding on to hard surfaces- walls, the entranceway railing, the tables and chairs, counters, etc.- I learned to love everything I have, even the objects I had thought about getting rid of. I did not necessarily approve of the sudden purchase my husband made of a new hot tub at a spa expo, but the tub turned out to be the best therapy for my foot, and for practicing relaxation.
Now, even though I can walk freely as I did before, I have a new outlook of my home. It is truly a home I love to cook in and enjoy. I love to sit at breakfast with my husband and make small talk, and plan our day and dinner.
During this quiet time, I find myself thinking about old friends and lost family members more than ever. This has been the shell of my transformation that I can now fill with the new future…