To Do Lists

Those of you who have been following this blog since summer know that the transition from Paris to Charlottesville is difficult for me. But at least in the summer, everybody is winding down and getting ready to go somewhere. When I leave in November I am out of sync with my world. It's about half way between summer vacation and Christmas. Everything is in full swing. And then .... I have to get ready to leave.
I keep going to choir, reading to the kids, knitting, seeing friends while my To Do list gets longer. About a week before I leave, it has morphed into five To Do Lists
•Things you really, truly have To Do or you won’t be able to leave
•Things you need To Do (and will be able to if you get organized.)
•Things you should try To Do
•Things you don’t have To Do now if you promise you’ll do them as soon as you get to Charlottesville
•Things you meant To Do but now it’s too late.
The first list gets done. Some other items slip from list 2 to 3 to 4. I contemplate list 5 with chagrin and try to make sure it stays as short as possible. But I always seem to have a list 5.
I still find it strange to start saying “See you next year” or “We’ll do that next year.” nearly two months early.
My last week is always filled with last outings, last phone calls, last errands. Then it is The Day Before I Leave. My November and December calendar pages are starting to fill with Charlottesville plans. My January calendar is already half full of Paris plans. Time to get on that plane.