Jan 22:

We had arrived in Morrow, GA at midnight. It was in the 30's and getting from the car into the motel room was chilly in my rowing clothes after driving for eight hours. Sleep was intermittent and morning seemed to come early. Heather would spend the day preparing a presentation on our trip while I went to the meeting.

I attended the meeting sitting listening to my colleagues and frequently drifting into daydreams in which the rhythm of my strokes moved me along a coast now far away. Part of the withdrawal from any good time is this lagging sensation in subconscious thought. I am reentering the real world of my job and the anticipation of returning to that routine which I also enjoy. I wonder what horrendous surprises await at home that need to be dealt with. My cell phone buzzes on manner mode and a message comes in. When I listen to this message at the first break in the meeting I hear that the plumber has finished repairing the fourteen breaks in the pipes in our home. Walls and ceilings will need repair and he wants my address to send his bill. My dream is over.

We both joined a host of colleagues and new hires for dinner and I was especially glad to have Heather meet and get to know some of my business friends for the first time.