leaving new orleans

Tomorrow my stay in New Orleans will end.

Living in Abbie, Sam and Henry’s house has been slightly different from living in my own.

For one thing, there is no TV. I haven’t missed it as much as I thought I would. Mostly when I’m preparing dinner and wondering what's on the evening news.

They don’t use paper napkins in this house, which is one thing I think I’ll start doing in my own home. Not only is it good for the environment, it reminds me of the way we did things when I was growing up. Everyone in my family had their own personal napkin ring so that we could tell whose napkin was whose.

This family owns only one car, which means frequent use of the streetcar, a bike or two strong legs for walking. They own no landline phone, which means no blaring disruptions during the day.

Organic food, cloth diapers, biodegradable cleaning products, guitar and piano playing, singing, composting, a sewing machine, repurposed clothing and furniture, lots of books and lots of quiet time for reading them…. that’s the home that has been mine for the past two weeks. Even though I’ve been busy cleaning and cooking, shopping and doing laundry, it’s really been a vacation of sorts.

The best parts of the day are talking with Abbie and getting to hold Henry. Yesterday, for the first time, Henry fell asleep on my chest as we were sitting next to Abbie at her computer. I guess I dozed off, too. It was so amazing to wake up and find this small, precious boy breathing lightly on my face, his arm resting on my neck.

It will be awhile before I get to savor something like that again. I think that’s what I’ll miss most.

(Thanks, Eddie, for taking the picture of Henry and me.)