Real Life

On Day 931...

I haven't had anything to say lately, because it seems that nothing interesting has happened in my life. However, I suppose I can blog about the boring things as well. :)

During my week in Florida I had a lot of time to think/pray and just be alone with God. It was so refreshing to just relax and take in His amazing creation and it was also a time to reflect on where I am and where I want to be, and who I want to become.

When we decided to move to Asheville, it was far more than just moving for a job, or even moving to be closer to family. It was a move that brought us closer to what we want out of life. Some people thrive off of the DC environment, but we are not those people. We came here to live a calmer, and (in our definition) a more balanced life. We wanted life to be more than work, and climbing the (50 million foot) corporate ladder. We valued having time to spend volunteering and becoming involved in other's lives. And although we now have a much slower pace of life, there are parts of the DC community that we greatly miss. White Drew's uncle was here this weekend (a well-read, pastor and military chaplin) I had more intellectual stimulation from one of our conversations than I have had in months. I miss having conversations/discussion about ideas and concepts, instead of just the weather. I missed it more than I ever realized.

It has also been harder than I thought to make friends here. Yes, we have some friends that we can do things with occasionally, but no one with whom to go grocery shopping, or to just invite yourself over and spend the day with or who drop in and love spur-of-the-moment dinners as much as you.

It has now been 5 1/2 months and I should be patient, but it isn't always easy. I keep reminding myself that it took 5 years (2 of which was spent pretty much living with the other people) to make the friends that I have in VA, and chances are that I will probably never have the same kinds of friends again. As hard and painful as PHC was, the difficulty is what created the rich friendships that I have now, and that situation will never be duplicated. We have moved into a different stage of life, and with that come different friendships. Change is not always fun, and changing expectations is not something that comes naturally, but any means. But through His grace I am taking one day at a time, and you never know what tomorrow may hold.

L