Lists. We're checking things off. It makes me deliriously happy.

     There are lists everywhere. There are daily lists, lists of things to do when we go out to do errands, lists of things that must be done at the last minute, lists of social events in the coming weeks. I sometimes wonder whether we will have as many lists in the early days of our new life as we settle into Siem Reap. I love lists.

     Here's an example of a daily list:

• Mail packages [I've been selling lots of books on Amazon.com.]
• Pay property taxes
• Install new smoke detectors
• Mow lawn
• Pick up absentee ballots
• Drop off bags at Goodwill
• Finish emptying bathroom closet
• Vacuum out car
• Dig up flowers for Dylan & Alanna
• Call Vt Electric re: changing account name
• Fill prescriptions

     Mundane tasks, to be sure, but more satisfying than usual. Each item checked off brings us that much closer to leaving. And there are things I try to do every day that don't even get mentioned on the list: Sit outside on the Adirondack chair and read. Have a glass of wine. Write just for the hell of it.

     The further I get from work, the more nooks and crannies of my own brain I wander into. This realization, along with some other others, allowed me to finally draw the line in the sand this week and announce that I wouldn't stay on per diem past Friday of this week. It had been my boss's very generous intention to keep me on per diem so I could earn a little extra money - perhaps even do some work remotely from Cambodia to make a few bucks - but it suddenly became clear to me that I was done. The weeks following my last full-time day on June 30 had allowed me to make a gloriously easy transition out of my job, and that the process was complete. It's time to let go of that chapter and turn my full attention to what lies ahead. 

     What lies ahead....I love the sound of that. I am in one of the most interesting and satisfying phases of my entire life, right this minute. I've gotten rid of things I don't want - belongings, jobs, responsibilities - and chosen to keep only what I enjoy - the best of my stuff, the promise of new beginnings, potential adventure. How could I not be deliriously happy?

     (And when will Steve start blogging so we can hear how he's feeling?)