The Waiting Room

Posted on February 26, 2025 by

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Mom and I agree, our life right now is like sitting in a waiting room. One side of that room has a big picture window through which we can see people running and screaming as catastrophes unfold around the world. We are doing what we can from where we are to help, but we have limited tools or power right now. On the other side of the room, is a doorway that leads to our new life, though that door can’t open just yet. We sign the initial papers in a week, and then we have another month or so before we close on the house and get the keys. We are not in control of that schedule, and the final date is as yet unknown. So for now, we have to wait.

I’m not very good at waiting.

I am good at organizing. Planning. Using a task list to get things done.

But right now, my task list is empty. I have a LONG list of things to do once we have our house, but none of those items are something I can act on for the next four to six weeks.

Once we are in the house and it’s paid for, we can:

  • Have our belongings (clothes, quilts, books, mementos, essential home electronics) shipped from storage
  • Get our French bank account
  • Send out our new address to family and friends
  • Sign up for homeowners insurance
  • Set up utilities (most especially HIGH SPEED INTERNET service)
  • Order new furniture
  • Buy a TV
  • Select the kitchen and dining items we want (dishes, glasses and cups, flatware, pots and pans, storage containers, small appliances, etc.)
  • Install a new washer and dryer
  • Begin work on our garden plan
  • Plant hedges along the front fence
  • Buy supplies and install insulation in the outer walls
  • Hire plumbers and electricians to help us update the kitchen and bathroom
  • Decide paint colors and linens/curtains for each room.
  • Schedule visits from family and friends
  • Buy lawn equipment
  • Build tool storage and workshop in the garage
  • Get our smart home back online again
  • Make sure Mona has her doggie talking buttons again because she’s very frustrated at not being able to communicate
  • Buy an electronic bell system for our front gate
  • Purchase an electric bicycle and a small trailer for it so I can run errands more quickly from time to time
  • Hire a company to run a new sewer connection line to the city sewer and have the old septic tank filled
  • Start saving and planning for the installation of our heat pump and solar systems over the next couple of years

These are all our regular day-to-day life things. Then there’s my work. I need to:

  • Design my office area with an ergonomic desk and chair
  • Get a new printer
  • Buy an auxiliary monitor and a sound system
  • Obtain shelving and organize storage of office supplies, books, etc.
  • Set up my podcasting and video equipment

All these things are bouncing in my head, but I can’t make forward motion on any of them right now beyond making lists and doing research.

So what CAN I do right now?

  • REST – After years of tireless to-doing, I need to recover and catch my breath a little.
  • READ – For fun, education, curiosity, distraction, research, and to prime the pump for my own writing.
  • WALK – Every day, I need to be moving. When we first arrived, we walked five to six miles a day, and I need to keep that going for my health, both mentally and physically.
  • LEARN – I need to practice my French so I can become more proficient and make new friends once we are in our new home.
  • CREATE – I need to get back into the habit of writing daily rather than waiting until I feel “ready,” whatever that means. I have time. I need something to occupy my time. I can shift my planning and organizing brain into creative mode. I’ve done it before. I can do it again.
  • APPRECIATE – Take time to slow down to notice the changing seasons, enjoy birdwatching, take photos, and do some people-watching. Savor this time. Be present. Don’t rush.

Here are some of the things we’ve taken time to appreciate over the last two weeks:

  • On the right of the photo, green ivy covers the old sandstone wall of the city, with the wide paved path below, stretching into the distance alongside the bank of the Dordogne River. Blue sky is above, reflected in the water below.
    The promenade along the river front has a wide path for foot and bicycle traffic.
  • From a bench, an older woman in a blue coat and blue jeans looks out over the stone harbor facing left, a black cane in her left hand. A potted tree in a large wooden planter is to her right, and below the sandstone pavement at her feet there are steps down to a cobblestone quay along the banks of the Dordogne River at the Bergerac harbor.
    Mom and I walk to the riverside quay several times a day. There’s a bus stop nearby which we take when we do our shopping. The benches provide good people watching and a view of the birds. From April to October, there are boats which leave from here for tourist cruises.
  • View from the edge of the promenade along the Dordogne River toward the old stone bridge in the distance. This bridge connects the two halves of Bergerac, and is used by cars, buses, bicycles, small electric scooters, and pedestrians alike. In the photo, the sky above has puffy clouds with bits of blue peeking through, and below the river is like a mirror, reflecting city, bridge, and sky perfectly.
    View of the old bridge during the day.
  • A man on a paddle board rows downstream from left to right in the photo. On the right, the edge of a small island in the middle of the river can be seen where swans, ducks, and herons have their nests. Beyond, the green bank rises up to the city on the far side of the river. Evergreens peek out in darker shades of green, while leafless trees wait for spring.
    Boats of all kinds can frequently be seen. This day was particularly warm, and someone was out with a paddle board, rowing downstream.
  • A black Scottish terrier walks confidently on the sandstone pavement with head and tail up at the end of a red leash.
    Mona loves our daily walks by the river.
  • A Scottish terrier looks out over the quay, gazing from the right of the frame out to the left and the distant shore. She is sitting, wearing a red and black harness, attached to a red leash, on the sandstone pavement. Steps nearby lead down to the cobblestone quay with the river's edge in the distance beyond some black iron posts. The opposite shore with it's trees and houses is reflected in the water.
    She also loves to people watch, though she doesn’t like it if they get too close.
  • The old stone bridge of Bergerac at night using time lapse photography shows the golden glow of the old street lamps which are also reflected in the water. The several arches of the bridge are made of stone, and the water beneath looks still and dark in the evening light. Because it is raining and the clouds are low hanging, the light of the city illuminates the sky as well.
    At night, the city is just as beautiful. We love this view of the bridge.
  • Two narrow sculling boats row upstream on the Dordogne river. The water is moving swiftly, so the one-person boats require a great deal of effort from the female rowers. The boats are moving from right to left in the photo, with the opposite shore seen beyond.
    We’ve seen sculling teams out on practice runs and racing one another. This was part of a group of four one-person boats, with women rowers, racing upstream.
  • A small two person motorboat moves upstream from right to left, following alongside a narrow one-person sculling boat. the weedy riverbank rises steeply in the background, with the stone houses of the old town beyond.
    Here, there’s a motor boat monitoring the rowers, and giving out directions. I assume from what I can understand of the commands, that they’re getting coaching as part of practice in the lead up to future races.
  • A Scottish terrier lies napping on a bed covered with a yellow, gray, and white duvet.
    Mona reminds me when it’s time to rest from time to time.

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Delia Remington
therealdelia

therealdelia

When Delia was five years old, her teacher asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she replied, "I want to be a writer and tell stories." That desire never changed, though it's manifested in many different ways throughout the years. Delia moved to France with her mother and her Scottish terrier, Mona.

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