I Am Home

On Saturday I moved in, after a long period between homes. I’d stayed with my sister Patsy and her husband Britt since the end of February, expecting to need their hospitality only until early spring. They were incredibly generous and hospitable during the unexpected months that followed. We’re well in to August now, and I’ve finally set up residence in my own place. It’s disorienting waking up in a new home, those first few days. At first I wondered, “Where am I?” but quickly realized that this is it, the place where I’ll wake up from today on. This morning, as I had my bowl of Cheerios, I sat at the kitchen island and looked out the window at a sea of green. The lush, leafy trees and tall pines outside my window are not familiar to me yet. I expect that one day I’ll recognize these trees as more than scenery and know them as individuals, but for now, they’re all part of one wooded family.

I don’t want to rush summer away, AT ALL, since it is by far my favorite season, but I can only imagine how beautiful the scene from my kitchen window will be when the leaves are at their peak of color, or when freshly fallen snow frosts the pines.

This living in the woods has its perks. At 7:15 this morning, driving to work for the first time from my new address, the sun was shining in fragmented beams through the forest of pines lining Young Road on both sides. The beams aimed downward on an angle, in that ethereal, dream-like way, and it was incredibly beautiful. I have to deliberately notice the beauty around me every day, and not take it for granted or let go of it by getting caught up in the hectic pace of my life. A change of perspective can be a gift.

After all this time, it is good to know, that finally, I am home.



Photo credit: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.slymarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/imagesblogcheerios.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.slymarketing.com/2008/02/cheerios-can-help-your-creativity/&usg=__OMozaATE_eU1n69y2XqappHZrhg=&h=300&w=400&sz=19&hl=en&start=14&tbnid=6fY4GkkWIYa4fM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcheerios%2Bheart%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den