this is also traveling

i have traveled thousands of miles in adventures without leaving the state or, barely, my city.  to watch the homes and beloved creatures of others is also traveling.

consider, if to travel is to experience the unknown and unexpected in new surroundings, the navigation of needing to cook meals quickly in an unfamiliar kitchen (my superpower of being able to find someone's can opener on the first try notwithstanding) or jiggle the toilet handle in just the right way.  

yes, i have the garbage and recycling days of several zip codes memorized.  along with special instructions countless codes, and vet numbers.  

to be in another home is to be absent in mine, so some days get a bit wonky remembering to pay my own rent, refresh the bird suet in the feeder, teach art lessons while grabbing a fresh shirt, take my own laundry out of the dryer to fold, make sure my plants are watered and forage for food.  on one such in-between day, a pear from the ground and leftover random items in the cupboard at work made for a decently edible, if not great, lunch.  

some days i pack up at one home before heading to work and move in to a different home after i clock out.  now if that's not adventuring, i don't know what is!  packing ahead for work and weather, remembering all of my own items from vitamins and toothpaste to jewelry and matching socks, and managing my tasks is some days herculean.

an example day:  wake up (where am i?), pack, water my plants, feed chickens, pay rent, garbage & recycling, feed birds, shower & look presentable for work, button up my home, get groceries, go to work and all that entails, move into housesitting home by unpacking my necessities, take care of creatures, take care of their plants, feed their backyard birds, tend to garden, take out their garbage & recycling, empty litter boxes and/or walk dog, retrieve mail, fall into a new bed, repeat.

moving out of someone else's home, it is key to leave it as good if not better than you found it and time must be allotted for this ahead of time depending on when they are arriving back home:  dishes and towels fresh, bed sheets laundered and remade, floors swept or vacuumed, plants tended, animals cared for and their food and water topped off, leave flowers and a card if possible, perishable food removed or properly stored, keurig pods refreshed, counters wiped down, sink strainers emptied, mail organized.

it's a day in the life.  meanwhile, if you need me, i'll be folding the toilet paper into a little triangle...