Wow.

I came home tonight to the biggest surprise I could have.

The house is clean. Utterly tidy. Everything where it belongs. Floors swept, clothes washed, dishes done. All the little things that slipped by the wayside while baileyjordan was not feeling well after his surgery, and while I was sick.

I feel like I just came out of a three-month hibernation, starting some time before the insanity of the winter holidays, and ending now, with a bright sunny day, a surprise of a clean house, and a day at work where I left feeling like I got everything done.

I realize how much I’ve neglected parts of my life. Taking care of little things, staying in touch with friends. Making phone calls, both pleasure and business. Replying to emails. It’s been stressful, and tonight, I feel like that’s gone. I’m hoping I can keep it that way.

fish_kid has lived with us a month today. It’s good, even if our house really is too small.

We’re looking for a larger place to live. I’m not looking forward to moving if (more like when, I suspect) we do, but I no longer fear the cleaning that we’ll have to do on this place. I was dreading it, and I was letting it ruin my outlook on change in life. A very needed change. At the moment, there’s no place in my house I can be alone, and with the winter still in full swing here, my usual hideouts of late-night walks by the river to call friends and talk while I’m out aren’t an option. I am becoming a bit of a flake because of it. I miss the little bits of me that I’ve left on the shelf lately, the parts I only get out when I’m alone and have the night to myself. I will reclaim them.

Hibernation does have its benefits, though. I’ve laughed through a few seasons of House and of Bones with Bailey, while he was laid up, and I’ve written a webserver toolkit that’s shaping up nicely. I’ve learned some intricacies of a programming language I love but have never had time to really learn in depth. I’ve written something useful that doesn’t really exist out there, and fills a niche.