There are times in my life when I know change is coming, and I know I need to be flexible and ready to learn a new way of life. And there are times in my life when I know things will just have to stay the same for a while, and I'll see each day come and each day go, and I'll enjoy the small moments as I wait for the next phase of life to come over the horizon.
I've been in a bit of a holding pattern lately. Just trying to tread water... keep my chin up... live the life I have right now. And there are days that just fly by, and keeping my head above water seemed so easy. And there are days I'm not sure I can make it to dusk. Some days I think "I just need a little something to keep me going... a little glimmer of something new and different to peak my interest in life again."
Enter Ducky.
Ducky is a friend of Ryan's. I've met him a handful of times, mostly in fast food drive thrus. He's always seemed like a nice guy, a little bit "off kilter" like Ryan with that quirky sense of humor.
And now Ducky is our new roommate.
Last Sunday Ducky moved in with us. It's just for a month, but he's the first roommate I've had since college nearly 10 years ago. And he's the only man I've ever lived with who isn't family or my spouse.
I had no idea what to expect. Do I treat him like I would a guest who is staying just a few nights? Do I treat him like a roommate and just let him fend for himself? Will we fight over the TV remote? Will he bring friends over and make lots of noise late into the night? What if he hates dogs?!?
So I put fresh sheets on the spare bed, dug out a spare key to the back door, and made mental notes of things to be sure Ducky knew right away. He arrived late at night so we got him settled pretty quickly and went right to bed.
Then I didn't see him for over two days. He wasn't awake the next morning when I left for work, so I left post-it notes letting him know where the towels and toilet paper were. I left a note on the back door so he knew not to let our border collie run freely outside... I wrote him half a novel on our white board with other bits of information I was sure he couldn't live without.
He works a schedule completely opposite to mine. He leaves a couple hours before I get home from work, and he doesn't get home until I'm in bed. He's still sleeping when I go to work in the morning. He's extremely quiet, doesn't seem to be making any kind of mess at all, and, he likes dogs! He's been the perfect house guest / roommate so far. I just hope we get to talk soon! I keep looking for signs around the house that he's making himself at home. I'd hate for him to feel like he has to walk on egg shells. We're pretty laid back people, and both Ryan and I are really hoping Ducky makes our house his own.
And despite me barely even knowing he's there, he's been that perfect extra something in my life that makes each day new and exciting. "Maybe I'll get to talk to him today" "Oh wow! He watched TV last night, I'm glad he didn't feel like he had to hide in his room" "Aw... no dirty laundry in the hamper yet... he's gotta need clean clothes soon! Maybe I'll leave a note so he knows I'll wash it for him... or is that weird of me? yeah that's weird... but it's ok to be weird right? maybe it's too soon to let him see I'm weird." Every day there's just a tiny something new... every morning I'm excited to wake up and see what he did the night before while we slept (I had clean dishes and an organized kitchen this morning!). Every afternoon I'm excited to get home from work and think of something I can do to make him feel more at home. Every night I go to bed like a worried mother ("I hope his day at work went well. I wonder what time he'll be home. Maybe I should leave a light on.")
As the weather starts to turn cold, and the 'to do' list for the sheep continues to grow, work and bills stack up, and life trudges on...it's nice to have something exciting and new to look forward to each day.
Ducky - my "pick-me-up" sent from Heaven.
That's my life!
