The analogy of life as a web is possibly overused, but always apt. I took this shot (among others) at Dildo Run Provincial Park during a recent vacation on one of those perfectly quiet and misty mornings; the sort of morning that comes complete with second cups of coffee and quiet walks in the woods. It was a morning for moving slowly, looking and really seeing things, like mist-frosted spider webs, caught in the morning light.

The thing about the spider web metaphor for life, in which a life is composed of many interconnected strands that form an unbelievably beautiful composite and in which the strands are frequently damaged and repaired, is that it’s really quite apt. Whenever you change one aspect of your life, or when a change comes along and pops you one between the eyebrows, it changes the whole picture and can affect the balance and that balance or harmony, for our family, has typically been in my guardianship.

So mornings of quiet contemplation, in which the potential effects of large changes are thought out and planned for over second cups of coffee become critical to the survival of the web and ultimately, the spider. (I’m not quite sure where the bugs come into it. I prefer not to think about them over that second cup.) I’m planning and thinking and trying to make sure that big changes are smoothly executed and that all three of us (as well as our critters) don’t get caught in our own sticky strands. This is going to be an incredibly stressful fall in these parts, for all in this house.

So what are the things I’m making sure we have? The same ones I always have striven for, but soon under greater pressure. I’m writing them here now, mainly for myself, so that when I start to come unglued in October, I can look back at the calm, rational me and take stock.

• Food – planning good healthy meals and getting a contingency plan in place for days of insanity (which are sure to come)
• Exercise – each person will be getting at least an hour a day and John and I are going to make damned sure running fits in there
• Sleep – not skimping on this for anyone
• Couple time
• Family time
• Dogs exercised (really it’s part of family time and so forth, but if I put it on my list, I’ll make sure it happens)
• Clean house – not sure how this will happen. I may need to find some house elves. In fact, I think paying someone to come in and clean might prevent utter collapse.