Our first visitor has come and gone. Christine and I were giddy with excitement as she unpacked her suitcase filled with items from home. Clothes, medicines, kitchen items never elicited such joy. Each moment savored until the next item was revealed to squeals of happiness.
And as if this wasn’t enough, she had a car! For five months we have only left the town of Dingle once on a bus to Tralee for shopping. Now we would be able to drive back West around the peninsula, perhaps the most beautiful area in the world, travel the Ring Of Kerry and Killarney National Forest and end with an overnight visit to Kilkenny. Our excitement enhanced by the frequent spells of sunshine most days of her visit. The significance of the sun shining cannot be understated as we have had the wettest winter in memory. In fact, it’s been four months since we had a full dry day. To see the sun again was nothing short of miraculous.
It’s interesting how adding another person’s energy into the mix affects not only the individuals but the whole as well. I suppose any two people living together develop a rhythm. Christine and I are no different, but I hadn’t given it any thought until it was disrupted by our visitor. Suddenly the simple flow of our days took on new directions and it took some time for me to adjust. The new energy was jarring. Especially in the morning when I normally sit quietly in my window seat waking up with my coffee and Christine in the living room with hers. Now, I have to say that this particular person’s energy is loud and jarring anyway, but having become accustomed to a certain rhythm it was a shock to my system. Perhaps my recent near death experience with the ensuing pneumonia added with my introvert status made it more challenging. I certainly wasn’t at my best.
But we made it work somehow. Each of us in a new dance together, figuring out the steps. As the days passed we began to fall into a new rhythm, but always with a sudden new step thrown in pushing me off balance. In the end, we all had a wonderful time and I’m happy to be back to the rhythm of our days. Until, of course, our new visitors arrive…
