The Hermit’s Reminder and a Glimmer of Good News

Last night was a restless one—my lower back throbbed, and I found myself up and down until morning. Today is Charlie’s pre-op consult with the surgeon for his ostomy reversal, and I began the day with a quiet prayer to the gods for good news. I slipped into my clothes, brushed my hair, and twisted it into a loose bun before turning to my tarot deck. The card I pulled was The Hermit—a steady reminder to meet the day with restraint, to let wisdom and discipline guide me instead of anger or impatience. With that in mind, I sat down to edit and publish yesterday’s blog post. By the time I clicked “publish,” the familiar crowing of our resident rooster drifted through the air, pulling me back into the rhythm of the morning.

wisdom, secrets revealed, a teacher, discipline, study, testing, examination, asceticism, denial of the flesh, mind over matter, chastity, commitment, vocation, dedication to a purpose, self-denial, spiritualized sexuality.

Next, I turned my attention to the weather. I wouldn’t be home for most of the day, but Dameion is more than capable of running the property in my absence—I just needed to leave him a clear list. The forecast promised clouds but no rain, which meant a good window for progress. While we were away, he could work on upgrading the chicken run so we can finally move the flock to their new space. I marked the farm stand as open for the day and noted that the goats would need their grazing time. Dinner also needed planning; another leftover night simply wouldn’t do. I settled on Mongolian beef—a comforting choice that, thankfully, I already had all the ingredients for.

Next, it was time to prepare the girls’ schoolwork and organize everything into their folders. I began with Aria’s, then moved on to Sephy’s, making sure their folders and clipboards were neatly arranged. I set up a new folder for completed laminated items and another for the ones we still needed to work through. The fresh stack of papers waiting to be laminated didn’t stay that way for long—soon they were pressed, cut, and transformed into the learning tools they needed to be. By then, it was breakfast time for the girls. I had hoped to make the glaze for the donuts, but the clock was not on my side, so cereal would have to do for this morning’s meal.

While the girls ate their breakfast, Charlie woke and joined the day. As they were finishing up, Dameion stirred as well, stepping in to help pick up my slack. He took the dogs out for their morning walks while I got the girls dressed. Once their room was tidied, they settled in with a bag of popcorn, ready to listen to a story and watch a couple of short videos about plantain—learning and snacking side by side—until it was time to head to GiGi’s.

feeding time

Before the girls left, I let Aria feed the turtle—her small hands carefully sprinkling food into the water—then it was time to go. Dameion walked them down the hill, and while they made their way, Charlie and I set about glazing the donuts, the kitchen filling with their sweet, warm scent. Before long, it was time for us to leave for Charlie’s appointment—a drive that could take nearly two hours, depending on the mood of the traffic.

Charlie’s appointment brought the best kind of news—he’s officially ready to be scheduled for surgery to reverse his ostomy. Now, all we’re waiting for is the call with his surgery date. The doctor assured us he would be placed in the first available operating room, pending his nicotine test. Since Charlie set down his vape and cut out anything containing nicotine a month and a half ago, I have no doubt that test will come back clean, and he’ll be on the schedule very, very soon. With the test complete, we turned the car toward home, carrying a sense of relief and anticipation with us.

Once we were back home, the pain in my back had flared to the point of exhaustion. I ordered McDonald’s for the girls and sent Dameion down to pick them up from Mom and Dad’s so I could rest. The long car ride had left my back in rough shape, and I knew I needed to take it easy. Aria had apparently had a challenging day, testing her boundaries and not listening well, so when they returned, I kept things simple. They ate their dinner, soaked up a bunch of hugs and kisses, and then wandered off to watch TV and wind down. Rest was exactly what they needed—what we all needed, really.

After the girls were tucked into bed, I joined the guys in the kitchen to help with dinner. This time, we all pitched in, filling the space with the easy rhythm of shared work. As we sat down to eat, Aria wandered out and asked if she could try our meal. I called her over, and she took a small bite—only to wrinkle her nose and declare, “Yuck.” Sephy, on the other hand, happily took a bite and ended up finishing my bowl. Once they were back in their room and I’d eaten a bit more, I pulled out my TENS unit and ran it across different spots on my back for about an hour, easing the ache from the day. I even did a few spots on Charlie—he can’t handle the voltage as high as I can, which is honestly a little cute. With that, the day finally wound down, and it was time for bed.