B rooklyn PS

Dave and I had some free time on Saturday morning after dropping Lily at a playdate, so we stopped by our old apartment building to visit Sam and Eva, our friends and neighbors across the hall. Great to see them. They have bought a nice piece of land in the Catskills and are building a house that looks like it'll be wonderful. Yahoo!

While we were talking, Eva kindly went across the hall to see if the guys who bought our apartment were home and if they'd mind if we came in to see how they redid the place. They were and they didn't. We got the grand tour and it just looks awesome. They did the kitchen over and the downstairs bathroom, plus paint and floors. It sure doesn't look like our place--looks a lot like Uncle Josh's apartment, actually--and that was odd to see.

But it was odd that it wasn't more odd. Maybe if I hadn't gotten such a wonderful, demanding job I'd miss Brooklyn more, or long for our old lives back. And while it certainly was poignant to be back in our old place, we happily made our killing and reinvested much of it in this lovely home --which really is a lovely home--it's our home, and we all three of us like it, feel comfortable and at home in it.

I have a lingering sense of a certain poignancy, though. A kind of semi-sweet sadness, not regret at all, but still, a sense of loss, or sorrow, or maybe it's just, astonishment that we are here? Actually here? How long does that last? How long does it take to incorporate this relocation into my body, into my cells? It's more there than not, we're no longer in Bardo, certainly. But I'm still transitioning, this move is still in process in me, at least, and I imagine Lily and Dave, too. This is why I love poetry, there's got to be some good Emily Dickinson or Mary Oliver or someone that describes just this emerging, evolving feeling, whatever it is.

Yesterday the three of us went to the Y, and we put Lily into the free childcare, which she loves, and Dave and I worked out. On our way out we signed up for a racquet ball court for eight this morning. Today we got up, took Lily to the bus, then drove over to the Y and played racquet ball for about 45 minutes. We went home and showered and I got to work a little after nine. It was great! We both used to play squash, although Dave has played some racquet ball, too, and it was a gas just knocking around hitting volleys and yakking in the echoey cavernous room. We're thinking we'll play at least once a week. Life is easier here, it just is.