florida

My days are so much fuller now!  I say this to myself with a laugh as I compare my present existence to life in Cyprus.  I laugh because in Cyprus we had a home to care for, errands, friends, church responsibilities, a small business...a life.  Here?  Here I neglect laundry and await the arrival of the Slow Boat to China. But Here we have options.  Here we have convenience and four-lane highways.  Drive-thru ATMs and 24-hour Wal-Marts.  In reality, Here we have family.  I tag along with Dr. Mom as she takes David to work three times a week and listen as she prepares her lessons for church.  We have dinner plans, lunch plans, and plans for plans.  We run errands together, Mr. F and I escape to the beach for a few minutes, the dog eats something else, I paint for a few hours and then suddenly the day is done.  Not just done, but it's ten at night and I'm still awake and considering a Wal-Mart run just because I can.  

Right before we left Cyprus, an American friend of mine commented on how much more at ease she felt when in the U.S. compared to being abroad.  I didn't understand what she meant initially, but I think I do now.  Living abroad is stressful in its very nature.  Home, where ever it is, will always be easier on the system.  Florida is not where I imagined being.  It's not where I grew up or had family connections, but it is in America.  It's Here.  Home.  And that in and of itself gives me the liberty to feel at ease and tackle things I've been daydreaming of for months.  There's no huge rush, on my part at least, for Mr. F to find a job.  I feel content and very grateful for this time to assimilate all over again into my native culture.  Here my days really are more full.