The last month has been shadowed and shaped by my stubborn infection and rogue tooth, this morning I returned home from the doctor doped up, hurting and exhausted. One of the casualties of this month was sleep, and we both were worn out after the Open House. This evening was a curious mix of things, it was a healing evening that marked the end of this period, the beginning of another.

This evening, Maria went to her yoga class, something she cherishes, movement is so important to her. She agreed to take me along and drop me off at the Bennington Movie theater, I had an itch to go see the movie How To Train Your Dragon 2 I was too fuzzy to see a heavy movie and I love the better animation movies, they are rich, colorful and spirited. Maria and I worked it out so that she would be done with her yoga class about the time the movie got out.

We grabbed something to eat – my jaw still swollen, the novocaine still wearing off and set out, I got there early and took a walk along the road. I brought one of my painkillers along but didn’t take it, my jaw was throbbing and aching, my mouth protesting the ravages of the morning. I could barely move this afternoon.  l bought some popcorn with real butter, and a bottle of water. The young man making the popcorn was cradling a puppy he had picked up from a shelter a few hours earlier, and he would not put the dog down. He got me the popcorn with one arm, nobody minded that he was holding the dog, this is why I love the country. They will be happy together.

I found a good seat up front, played solitaire on my Iphone and won the game. I’m not bad at solitaire, but I take a long time. A family with three children came and sat right behind me,  their excitement about dragons was infectious.  In my other life, I went to the movies along often, and for years. It is unusual now, Maria and I love going together. It felt lonely but sweet too, and curiously healing.

I was planning on taking my painkiller once the movie started, I was savoring it as the anesthetic wore off. Many indignities were perpetrated on my mouth this morning.

I loved the movie, it was just what I needed, as Maria needed yoga after the Open House. There were dragons zipping around in gorgeous color, lots of light and movement and warmth. Fifteen minutes into the movie I thought about the painkiller and was startled to realize my mouth wasn’t hurting any more. I was not in any pain. It had gone away.  My swollen jaw had begun to recede, my stitches stopped throbbing.  I put my pain pill away. I will take the bottle back to the pharmacy tomorrow, I took one in the afternoon.

Maria was waiting for me when the movie got out, she had gotten some ice cream and was sitting in the car sketching – I so love to see her sketch, she is so at peace sketching. She is always so calm and at ease after yoga, she told me about the class, I told her about the movie. I said we should see it again, this time in 3-D together. She liked the idea.

We held hands all the way back, I felt I was in a transition, from one thing to another, from a turbulent space to a peaceful one, to a healing place. When we got home, there was a beautiful breeze and the sheep and donkeys were out in the side pasture grazing, we stood and watched them. There is something profoundly healing and spiritual about animals grazing out in a field. It was a beautiful dusk, the sky turning a rich and deep blue. The donkeys and the sheep were loving the clover.

I am home, I thought, this is where I belong, it all felt like a signal to me to move forward, I am not afraid to take care of myself any longer, I am finding such good help when I need it.

Maria and I sat out in the Adirondack chairs and felt the breeze, talked about the view, we both felt peaceful and well and eager to resume our lives. How curious that this mix of love, a dragon movie, sheep and popcorn could touch me in this way. It was a healing night, in more ways than one.

Tomorrow, we will begin to return to our lives. I will get back to work on my next book, Maria will clean up her studio and prepare to start doing her art again.