Do you ever wake up in the morning and think to yourself, "Is this really my life?" For us, the past month or so has felt mostly like a really long, really strange vacation. Lots of takeout, lots of different places to stay, living mostly out of a couple suitcases, being with unfamiliar people in unfamiliar places. But I think the dust has started to settle and we're realizing that this is our new rhythm of life, which is simultaneously comforting and terrifying. It's comforting in that we're not waiting for something to happen--to arrive home or finish a degree or start a job. It's terrifying in that this is for real. There's no "home" for us to go back to, no matter how much we want to return. I can picture our little townhome perfectly in my memory and I can't tell you how much I want to curl up on that couch with my favorite blanket and a cup of coffee and watch the birds eat from the feeder. I want to go to the lab and catch up with Toni, Tania, and Ellie (my best friend coworkers) and for us to get ice cream together. But even if I were to return, that world isn't there any more. Someone else lives in our home. Toni is in Wilmington. There are no degrees left to finish! It's a little unsettling.
But I am so incredibly thankful for so many things. In particular, so many of our friends and family have gone before us in many ways and are leading the way for us. It's unfair that they had to navigate alone (or perhaps the Lord had others go before them, too), but I am so thankful that they have. I am thankful for Cal and Lea Queener, who picked up and moved half the world away from their friends and families, and are living proof that it's survivable. I'm thankful for Bethany Bush, who moved to Boston six years ago, found a quality church and pointed me to it. I'm thankful for Barry and Kelly Kaldenbach, who taught us to play board games, because we've already made so many friends around that one hobby. And I'm thankful for my mom and dad with their continual encouragement. Dad told me that every time he's started a new job it's taken him six months to settle in, make friends, and start feeling good about his work. That means I'm not the only one who's had a hard time finding my place and learning all there is to know about work.
I hope that we are going before someone else and can one day pass on knowledge, hope, and comfort as these precious people do for us.
We are thankful for our friends at Park Street Church. I don't know if I've written about it before but it's within walking distance to our current dwelling so we've decided to stick there at least until we move. The church has shown us incredible hospitality. We've been to two welcome dinners (one churchwide and one for 20s and 30s). A couple in our small group had us over for dinner and games last Monday night. Today a dozen of us gathered here for a potluck lunch and games. We feel so at home among these friends. At work the relationship building is challenging, but at church, united under Christ, we have quickly found belonging.
Other than the homesickness, though, things really are good. We are enjoying so many small things right now and I never want to forget the sense of humble gratitude we feel now. I remember when I started graduate school and my apartment had a thermostat and a dishwasher. That was such a big deal at the time, and even now I appreciate those small luxuries so much. So I really want to continually treasure the good things we have and not take them for granted. Here are some things we are treasuring right now:
- Being able to pick up lunch, dinner, or a snack while we're out and not having to worry about the money
- Google stocks sparkling water (one of my very favorite treats) in all their microkitchens
- The locker rooms at the gym are really nice and never crowded
- The weather is still warm and beautiful
- We work eight hours a day and then go home guilt free
- We don't have to pack lunch every day (Google provides it)
- Being able to plan a little more long term (saving for retirement, making some bigger purchases, etc.)
- Paid sick time
On a less philosophical note, we did some furniture shopping this weekend. The entire city of Boston moves September 1 (80%+ of leases in the city begin then). We went to Ikea, which was a terrible idea. But we also went to a furniture store called Jordan's, which was not crowded at all and a whole lot nicer. We bought a new mattress and found a couch that we like. We will have to wait to get into our townhome to take some measurements before we move forward on any of that, though.
We also spent some time at Community Boating this weekend. Yesterday we took the "Shore School" class that teaches sailing principles. Today we went out kayaking along the Esplanade for about an hour. It was a really nice day and it was great to be outside for a couple hours.
On to a nice four day work week, and we'll spend next weekend in RI with a former professor!
