I haven’t written much these last few days because, well, there’s nothing to report. I’ve been cooped up in the apartment this past week, basically waiting for the 11th to get here. I’m definitely finished with San Diego. I take the dogs on longish walks, check the mail, and that’s about it. We’re trying to save money, so I’m just sitting tight and reading and knitting and waiting for Husband to get home so that we can sit here and be bored together 
I’m not complaining – this is just where I’m at. It’s the truth. Being in flux kind of stinks, but there’s usually a light at the end of the tunnel and in this case there definitely is so I can make it. And next week I’ll be busy preparing for our trip home – packing and shipping and figuring and laundering and cleaning and washing and bathing the dogs and getting the car ready for the 1200ish miles. It will be good.
This TDY has been good. We’ve been so fortunate to have good friends watch our house and do some maintenance for us. We’ve been able to sock money away which is really good in this economy. I was able to easily go to Arizona when my grandpa had his heart attack. (I would have gone regardless, but being here in San Diego made it easier). I’ve been able to visit with my parents a lot. My dad came to visit and I was able to go see him and his wife and meet their new pups. Since getting married and moving away, I’ve not had the opportunity to live in the same area as my mom and for once we were able to say that we did! That was nice to know she was just down the street. Okay, just down the 15. And my mom kept me from going insane on some days when I felt like I was losing my crap.
I’ve knitted a lot. I’ve also rotted my brain out with waaaaaay too much television. I’m not going to miss television when I get back. I mean, we’ll have it, but I’ll be doing life so I won’t be sitting in front of it (or the computer for that matter) day after day. Thank God.
I’ve been in almost constant sunshine for five months. I’ve gone to the beach. I’ve eaten good food. I’ve taken walks without rain hitting my head. I went to Disneyland and Sea World. I learned how to bead. I learned to knit lace. I got to swim. I learned that I am more adaptable than I thought.
I can definitely see the positive in these past five months. There was a mightier hand than mine or my husband’s job that led us to be here at this specific time. And some of the moments I’ve had are irreplacible and I’ll treasure them: Disneyland with my aunts and my mom, spending so much time with my mom, being able to see a lot of family at what was a stressful event – but seeing that we did indeed all gather round to support each other when the going got tough, and laugh about it. Together. I got to see one of my friend’s neighborhood, where she spent a lot of important time and where she met her husband. And we got to eat at their favorite Mexican restaurant. In what other moment in time would I have been able to do that?
But believe it or not, I miss the rain. I miss the change in seasons, watching the leaves change color. I miss the familiar. Our home, my recliner, the bed (!!!), my special space, my kitchen and cooking, seeing the Sound everywhere I go, the clean air, the slower pace, my friends, my knitting group, my knitting shops, Seattle. Our holidays kind of got stolen from us this year simply by circumstance. We could have made a Thanksgiving for ourselves and we could still go get a tree and decorate when we get back for Christmas. But the hassle outweighed the potential joy and so we’ve forgone and will forgo the holidays. Next year it will be different because I’ll appreciate it more.
I think that’s what we’ve gleaned the most from this trip – sometimes you have to be removed from what you have in order to appreciate it. I was starting to get antsy, dreaming about moving to an even bigger house on an even bigger plot of land. The houses to the left of us were going up and I was irritated by that fact; that they “stole” my woods, cleared the land and put up 7 houses on five acres of land. It’s ironic that we’ve been surrounded by people, no land whatsoever, no escape possible for five months. It puts everything into perspective. I might be most thankful for that – perspective. How much we’ve been blessed with. We’ve always known, we’ve always given thanks. But it’s a deeper appreciation now.
There’s a shift happening right now. It’s being forced on us by the circumstances we now face as a nation, as a global body of human beings. We’ve created this strife and now things are being corse corrected. it will hurt but the good will outweight the bad, as it almost always does. Being appreciative for what matters most – this is what I hope we all get for Christmas, just a little perspective.
