Will There Really Be a Morning?

As happens so often, Emily has the words to capture my situation at this moment:

Will there really be a morning?
Is there such a thing as day?
Could I see it from the mountains
If I were as tall as they?

To paraphrase: will this house salvaging project ever be completed? Will I ever reclaim my life? I think the dumpster has now been emptied six times. I have lost track of how many trips have been made to Ecocycle and Goodwill. And it seems as if I am no closer to being done than I was four days ago.

And yet. . . . I did have a glimpse this afternoon of progress. Today we filled only one dumpster; previously we'd fill the dumpster to the brim within minutes of emptying it. Today I worked with only two tireless, brilliant, take-charge grad students instead of six. Today we saw a cleared, cleaned, and vacuumed stretch of carpet. Today I can at least imagine being done with this job not only in this lifetime but maybe even next week.

Oh, some scholar! Oh, some sailor!
Oh, some wise man from the skies!
Please to tell a little pilgrim
Where the place called morning lies!