Rudi and I spent tonight sorting through old papers. They’d been stuffed into the space Rudi’s desk and we were hoping to repurpose that space for something else. Mostly it’s what you expect to find when going through old stuff — outdated magazine offers, charitable requests, old bank statements. But I knew there were also four containers under there that held important papers of mine.

Sure, I figured some of them would have become things I didn’t need — pay stubs and the like — but I also knew there were letters and cards and things I wanted to hold onto.

So when Rudi wanted to head to bed, I told him to go since I had to tackle those last boxes myself anyway.

Boxes one and two held the stuff I expected. Sure there were some things that could be pared down, but I was unsurprised by what I found and just mostly tidied and consolidated.

Box three held … junk mail. It was a huge let down. I mean, it’s good because I don’t need to keep nearly anything that was in there, but still. It’s hardly what I was looking forward to.

So, I admit it was with a little worry that I pulled the last box toward me. Would it also hold the remnants of some last minute cleaning?

The box did not hold important papers.

Instead, as I lifted the lid, I was met with the smell of rosewater.

It’s a box of little items from Connecticut that I didn’t want to lose — an old perfume bottle (thus the scent). The seahorse pendants that came from necklaces my grandmother brought me back from Hawaii when I was small. The charms to my charm bracelet. Some of my favorite necklaces from high school. A suncatcher from Karen. A broken keychain from Grey Kitten. (No, GK, not that first one. That one is in my parents’ basement.) A birthday card from coworkers a decade ago. The first amethyst ring my parents gave me when I was a kid. A flower pin from an elementary school friend.

This is why people save things. Little mementos from their lives that wouldn’t mean anything to other people. Even Rudi looking through this box probably wouldn’t know the significance of two thirds of it. But my looking through it tonight took me away to people and places and times that matter a great deal to me.

Most of my treasures remain scattered — in boxes around the Burrow and in my parents’ basement. I wonder if I would feel more whole if they were in one place where, on the days when I’m feeling lonely and lost, I could just open a box and follow a rose-scented path back through my own life.

Pardon the cheesy video, which is the best I could find on YouTube. I was surprised not to find one of two high school seniors whirling around the dance floor — sometimes in a crowd, and sometimes on their own. Guess the film in my head will have to suffice instead…

This is the second beginning to this post. The original intro was full of grumps and sighs and would have been painful to read by everyone — including me. But I will leave in the five silver linings I found that helped cheer me up. Because I think that might be the important part…

1. Last night marked the inaugural Friday night Jazz in the Sculpture Garden for the season. Sarah, Rudi, and I all left work early, and Sarah and I secured a well apportioned spot. There was laughter (we each felt it paramount to bring a baguette) and brownies and other tasty food and a chance to catch up and look forward at the summer. And even though by the time John arrived we had eaten a sufficient amount for our dinners, we all had more. The music was nice, if a bit muted, the damp didn’t seep too much through the blankets if you laid just so, and the rain held off right until the end, when it gave us enough time to pack up before coming down in buckets. And by that point it just seemed funny. It was a slow-moving storm because Rudi and I took the yellow line with John as far as U Street and the rain hadn’t yet made it there by the time we resurfaced. Although it caught up with us again on our walk home, we had umbrellas and rain hats and nowhere to be and tea to be brewed at home, so we were just as glad as not to see it.

2. The sock I cast on this morning is too big and will need to be ripped out and restarted. This is just as well because I messed up by missing a piece of information and the sock was not looking as pretty as it ought to have. After all, I hadn’t gotten all that far … and, when I cast it back on, there will be six fewer stitches in each round.

3. Despite three stations sending out their fire trucks (including two hook and ladders), there was no fire at the restaurant across the street from us.

4. I was concerned a friend was upset with me, but she called this afternoon and it seems like everything is okay.

5. My book, which I bought from a second-hand shop, is missing a chapter. But it’s a middle one and the action that occurs in it can be surmised. It was much, much worse that time I bought a book only to find the end was gone.

My Monday is going to be one of epic stress, so there may not be a post later in the day.

But I wanted to say that while I had a lovely weekend I have no photos to show for it. I remembered to charge the batteries and take my camera north to Columbia but not once did I pull it out of my bag.

How frustrating!!!

Does that mean I need to write a thousand words about my Sunday afternoon instead?

Rudi and I started off the weekend well by catching a baseball game tonight that the Nats ended up winning! Plus there were fireworks!

Here’s what’s on tap for the rest of the weekend:

• Laundry
• Potentially a visit to the library
• Potentially a visit to the garden
• A trip to the farmers’ market
• With some luck, a drive north to meet up with Jason, who’s flown back to Maryland to visit his folks
• If the rain holds off or if we feel like getting wet and if it doesn’t conflict with Jason’s schedule, the Earth “Day” concert on Sunday down on the Mall with John
• Uploading photos. I’ve taken lots, but haven’t posted them to the web to share them with you.
• Getting caught up on the stupid book reviews. I have a bunch of drafts sitting half finished (or barely begun) in the back end of the blog and I’d feel so much better publishing them already.
• Knitting. I think I could finish Rudi’s second sock if I just put my mind to it.
• Reading. I’d like to finish my Frank Baum fairy tale soon.
• Cleaning. The Burrow looks like a tornado hit it. Actually, a tornado hitting it might cause an improvement. Some quality time with a paper shredder, a bag destined for Goodwill, and a dust rag is probably in order.
• Sleep. I’m still not feeling 100%, so a few extra zzz’s certainly couldn’t hurt before Monday’s Very Busy Day.

Just to prove I’m serious about my list, I’m going to go tackle that last item now.

I hab a code in mah node.

::cough::

Ahem…

Luckily, it’s not in my fingers.

Unfortunately, because we’re on a huge deadline for work, I had to go into the office today, which I did. And the work got done, although it took way longer to do than I expected, and it left my poor boss feeling very bad for me when she hopped online later at night to find me still toiling at the office.

But I made it home in time to pick up some chicken soup from Zorba’s (my answer to homemade chicken soup is to buy it from the local Greek restaurant), since Rudi had eaten at a meeting, before Castle came on.

And unless I feel supremely better tomorrow, after my 8 a.m. conference call with India, I’m planning to head back to bed and stay home from work.

Because our beta delivery is Friday and I need to be back to fighting shape by then.

Is it May yet?