This morning fall is real. All my senses say so. Strangely, fall has a sound / not sound at my home in Houston. When the air conditioning shuts off for a long enough period that the background noises of birds and the roar of 69 and 288 are fully audible at 6:00AM. It’s a strange soundtrack.

I was up very early this morning because a man without a home has made Blodgett his place of residence and he converses at considerable volume with invisible associates. HFD and HPD have been out to assess, detain, serve, transport him three times now.

Sometimes he can give his name. Other times he’s incoherent. His pale skin has a burnt look of someone in the sun too long. He is now my neighbor and offering him a seat on my landscaping rock is my contribution to getting him out of the middle of Blodgett where he will get hurt.

I’ve been on a binge of home care and Angela care. A pause in saving the world and focusing on my tiny piece of it. Got some new landscaping and in the process a city water line was broken and I became that old person that laments the lack of common sense in the world. A water meter suggests a water line might be RIGHT THERE. Thank you Houston Public Works for fixing it. Like you needed something else to do.

I like a messy, noisy city. I like the feel of concrete under my feet and I’d like a safe sidewalk or two. So I’ve done my part to fix the sidewalk in front of my property. Eliminating the low spots and jutting concrete. It’s not quite enough. But it’s my part.

Maintenance is unglamorous and boring. Dentists and eye doctors. Plumbers and landscapers. Concrete repairs. Endless tending and mending. I take care of my stuff. Stewardship, I call it. Making the best use of resources. All that. But when it comes to me, not so much. For years I acted as if I weren’t made of biological stuff. I demanded of my body and spirit that it just go on – no matter what. Persevering was my super power.

I hung up that particular costume recently. And I am appreciating having a bit of peace and ease. This is still unfamiliar territory for me as there’s so much work that needs to be done. But there is something beautiful about being peaceful enough to sit and listen, offering encouragement to those still in the fray. Those leading in this tumultuous and fraught world. To those of you who’ve come to sit at my table and tell your work stories of triumph and trials, thank you. You all know I love a good work challenge.

Just for today I am at peace surrounded by my books, plants and art. With everything I need and want. And I am grateful for fall and the noise of neighbors going about their business.