Bachelorettes & Home Base
This past weekend was my lovely sister’s bachelorette party. It was a much needed time for a group of very diverse, very loud, very fun group of girls to get away from our daily routines. There was lots of alcohol, a few fights, some pretty cool dance moves, a tear or two, but more laughter than I’ve heard in quite some time. On my flight back to San Diego I had time to digest the weekend and reflect on how lucky I am to have a sister who loves deeply and has so many that love her back, each in their own special ways.
Moving is lonely. Even with my husband, starting over in this new place has been nothing short of challenging. The weather is fantastic, the beaches are beautiful, and San Diego is great. But what you forget about home is the comfort of calling up your best friend and being able to meet for lunch the next day. The freedom of stopping in at your favorite lunch spot and not feeling strange to eat alone. The weird feeling of knowing you might run into someone you know from some past life at every STL corner. It’s the little things that make you forget why home was home, and why this place, isn’t yet.
I have no doubt we will settle in, start to love this place, and make friends. We already have a couple favorite places to eat, never to forget the In-N-Out across the street that will be dearly missed when we go. We will learn the weird quirks of the city, the people, our neighborhood. And we will always know that our friends and what used to be home is just a flight away.
During this weekend in NashVegas I began to forgot the loneliness that slowly settled into me this past month in Cali. Before leaving, each day in Chula Vista made me feel a bit more isolated, and far, far away from home. Somewhere during the many LemonDrop shots, country music, and the silliness of drunk girl giggles, I found what it was to be surrounded by the familiarity of friends and of home.
This week I’ve been working to find communities that will make this place feel just a little more comfortable, a bit more like home. It’s tough to walk into new communities hoping to fit in, uncomfortable trying to find new places of comfort. But I know a good community is what makes me feel at home. And finding friends that really get me and make me laugh, that’s the real goal, that’s home base. I’m getting there.