Keeping the emotional space I need

I'm glad that packing isn't the biggest thing that's happening for us right now. Because we need emotional space. Individually, and as parents we need that space to help us help our

The other thing that is helping me stay
sane at this point is reading. I'm reading
more than I usually do (we're ahead on
packing). It is the best way I relax and
recharge.
This book I read a few weeks
ago, the most decrepit book I've ever read,
it was falling apart in my hands. But if you
ever get a chance, The Kon-Tiki Expedition
is a brilliant true adventure story that is
 great reading.

boys with their struggles. Yes, they're mostly happy about returning to Japan, but even a good change is challenging, merely because it is a change and things get messy. Plus they are old enough to know that there are good things about both places they've called home and that there are unknowns about what we face when we go back (like, "Will my friends still like me?")

I realised this morning how, though I'm not seriously busy, I've moved into a space where I'm very focused on the work of saying goodbyes, finishing up all the loose ends, and helping the boys cope.

I realised this when two different people made reasonable requests of us. Reasonable, except that their timing was bad. One was a simple networking request, one I'd usually love to be involved in. The other was responding to an article of mine that was published last month in an international ezine for Global women. I normally love it when people interact with my writing, but this one was asking too much of me, especially at this point in our transition.

Life's been a bit rocky on the parenting front this week as we've dealt with meltdowns/tantrums from all three boys on various occasions. To deal with that, and all the peripheral damage that goes with it, needs me to be focused, not distracted. So no apologies for being quite focused on us and those precious to us at this point. It's important for our sanity.