Took Our Dive

And now we're here. "Here" is Springfield, MA, my hometown. Our trip was so very long, and we are still reeling, but I think we are on the upward swing of recovery. It's difficult to express how weird and nice but weird it is to be "home" without the two other people in our lives that truly make any place Home. I left our camera back on the equator, so I'm sorry to report that I don't have any photos to share at this time. Just a few little thoughts I had as we made our two-day journey to the other side of the planet.

During our 15 hour wait for our international flight out of our capital city, we got the chance to stay in a lovely, air conditioned, CLEAN, and moderately fancy hotel. After going for a swim and even ordering room service, it was time to check out and catch our shuttle back to the crazy airport. As I cuddled my busy 1 year old son on our cushy seat in the air conditioned bus, I looked out the window and tried to wrap my head around the combination of people I have become over the past few years. I was comfortable and happy to be sitting in a big, clean bus, after a big, clean day, but was also completely understanding and relating to the scenes we were passing: an entire family on a motor bike, their groceries attached - a dad, in his underwear, pumping water from a well, accompanied by his 3 little children and a herd of goats - a pair of old ladies, fresh and clean from their afternoon baths, gabbing about the so-and-so's and the nonsense of whatever - a new mom standing with her newborn in a sling, bouncing and swinging and singing to stop the crying - an old man on a bicycle, with an old refrigerator strapped on the back. You know, the usual.

I thought to myself as we bumped along, I either belong nowhere, or little bits of me belong everywhere I go. It's a confusing way to be. But a gloriously un-boring way to live.