Just a little stressed

I always get stressed out at least a week before leaving on a trip, and it seems to grow and grow, knocking out my memory, good sense, motivation, and a few things.  I'm smack dab in the middle of this "stress week" right now.  

I have opened my suitcase and started packing a few things, but I'm not even sure yet what to take.  Will the weather hold or will it get hot?  The 17 year locusts are scheduled to break out by the millions just about mid-May.  That means there will be some who jump the gun and will emerge early enough to plague me.  I remember them in Cincinnati and it is like something I have never experienced before or since.  They make me think of the poor midwestern farmers facing the hordes of grasshoppers decimating their crops during the Great Depression, which was no doubt only the beginning of their troubles.

I worked at the library this morning and it's nice to not have to go back for a few weeks, although I still enjoy the work I do there.

I can't say enough good about how I'm feeling since I started drinking a glass of warm water with half a lemon 1st thing every morning.  It's been about 3 weeks so far, and it was in response to a 28 day challenge.  I will keep it up indefinitely.  There wasn't a specific moment that I felt the improvement - just a feeling of well-being that creeps up on you and suddenly you realize how much better you are.  I was a little surprised to hear from a number of commenters who are also drinking lemon water in the morning.  It is a good start to the day for me and others.

I've only seen a few hummingbirds during the last month or so.  I don't know if I should  put out fresh nectar before I leave or just take the feeder down.  I don't have a clue what has happened to them, as they have always been here year around.

I've been playing around with different ways to index my photos.  Every time I go through the ones I've put into the box I toss out a few more.   A few co-workers I didn't care for much to begin with don't need to be in my collection.  On the other hand there are certain people I backpacked with who are very dear to me and I want to keep the memories.  This whole business of tidying up has been a revelation to me about what is important to hold on to, and what is not. 

I can now see the floor in my computer/camping/storage room, and I sometimes enjoy just sitting quietly in my fantastically comfortable office chair, looking at my wall maps (one of the world and one of the U.S.), and just thinking about the great life I've had.  Can my life get any better when so many parts of me are suffering the ailments of old age?  I think it can, and is getting better, although I've had to change the emphasis a whole lot.  I always feel joy these days, and more often than not I also feel happiness.  Can't ask for better than that!