Day 60 of my return to the U.S. (but who's counting?)

This enforced being-at-home business -- I have to find out how people cope, since it's getting to me. Housewives do it for decades. People employed at home thrive on it. A strict routine is the only solution, I know, and I haven't established one, seeming to "go with the flow". Since the flow is going nowhere these days, I will create a structure. Recent retirees, such as my "esteemed former boss", a long-time corporate law partner, struggle with retirement, and I now know why. Routines are there for a reason. "The flow" is one thing, but one's daily structure is quite another. I've always been one to buck "the flow", and I now understand why that's counter-productive, but need to have more structure.

My Holland chapter is nearly tidied up (a few last bills to pay), and feels (reluctantly) like very ancient history. However, my re-entry to Washington, D.C. hasn't really started, and I've been here already two months!

I attended a beautiful Advent "Lessons & Carols" service last night, at a church where I sang in the 1980s. The music was so lovely and in the dark church (for half the service; then lightened and candle-lit) was a balm to the encroaching dark days of winter, though the weather here is still balmy, nearly in December!

Next on the list is to prepare a CV for the U.S. government's thousands of jobs and to learn how to navigate all the different departments' web sites. That's today's work, along with addressing Christmas cards.

Off to work!