This may only be read by me since I'm no longer travelling. But it's turned out to be my best photo album/journal...so this is the best place to record my thoughts after a year of being back in the U.S.
One thing I know for certain: I've changed. I've travelled all my life, but my "2008 Asian Walk-About" affected me in a different way. I sat at a lovely holiday party last week, food was fabulous, the host and hostess gracious, company was wonderful, lovely warm home perfectly decorated for the season...but I felt out of place. I've had that feeling since my return; I just don't belong here. It's been a year, and most of personal things are still boxed in my garage. (But I confess that I did finally break out the "fussy faux fur" pillows...)
The real estate debacle that I returned to has been sorted out, so now I'm just dealing with normal leaky pipes and tenants losing their jobs...you know, the regular mundane stuff. I enjoy what I do when I feel useful, when I've helped my tenants somehow or when a "trashed" unit is restored to decency.
My nieces and nephews are SO grown up. I don't know what happened...the oldest ones are going off to college and I can no longer pick up the youngest one!
I've GOT to stop saying I'm retired because everyone assumes I can volunteer to do anything and everything. I've done a lot of volunteering this year, but I'm at my limit. Being a recovering work-aholic, I'm finding it difficult to work with so much unstructured time...it's nice, but also challenging.
My future is still a blank canvas, but for now, I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be, helping my family when I can and continuing to move my real estate along.
What will 2010 bring? More fun, more optimism, a more light-hearted spirit, more time with loved ones, new friends, improved health, more clarity. I'd love to go bicyling through Cuba in the spring and then bike through Nova Scotia in the summer, get my money's worth out of my Colorado ski pass, maybe even start training for a 1/2 Ironman (maybe!), sit a 20 day meditation course, visit my Aunties Sr. Joanne & Sr. Jean in St. Paul and re-connect with all my college and IASP friends up there, maybe head to Florida to help cousin Jim & Amy on their farm during lambing season, get back to Calgary to re-connect with my VIP collegues, oh yeah, I haven't been back to Belize since I left almost 20 years ago! Better start planning!
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