T -7

today didn't go quite as expected. all i was hoping to accomplish was to drop off some shelves to my parents and maybe move some boxes around. instead, i spent the entire afternoon cleaning my dad's basement apartment.

his condition doesn't make him as sensitive as he should be to the state of things around him, and he's seemed to be content with his accommodations for a long time. but with a week left in the city and limited time left to look after him directly, i felt that i needed to do as much as i could to sort him out and make him as comfortable as i could. so i moved all of his boxes and files and furnitures and dusted and washed and wiped everything down. for three solid hours i cleaned and sorted and organized. the chaos seemed limitless.

while i was down on my hands and knees, scrubbing tiles cindarella-style that had not been cleaned in what looked like a decade, i felt really really good. it wasn't much, but i was finally looking after my parents. honouring them if you will. i realize that this is just the start of my responsibility and that it will get harder before it gets easier, but i was really glad to have a chance to do this for him.

in the end, my dad's suite is going to look very much like my old place, which is comfortable and tidy. i think that it will be a huge improvement. and it also justifies my shedding of all of my stuff. if it makes my father a little more comfortable until he can join me out east, then it's a success all around.

one more week. that's all the time i have to do a mountain of work.

- g