Those who travel for a living are quite familiar with this concept, so if you are one of these folks, you can skip this post, as it will be old news for you.
However, I really have to document this while it’s still fresh on my mind.
Some things have changed while we were gone. Now normally we see changes appear over time, construction workers building or tearing something down, storms come and the newscasters talk about the effects of the storm for a few days, and we come to accept the change as it occurs.
Except in the case where one is not here to be part of the change process, and one drives or walks somewhere and gets lost because familiar landmarks are gone or changed enough to be unrecognizable. Now I won’t say who got lost or how many times, but I was quite surprised and am still finding my way ’round as best as I can.
Then there are the things that haven’t changed, which thankfully are more than those that have. The fellow who waits for the bus at the transit center at XX pm in the evenings is still waiting for the bus, right on schedule. The drivers here are still friendly (thank God!), and the Tex-Mex is still horribly fattening but oh so good.
What’s really poignant are those situations where I see old acquaintances* and ask what I’ve been up to:
“I returned from a contract in London last week.”
“Really! Oh how nice, I didn’t know you were gone. I’ve always wanted to go to Europe.” *
It’s like that, isn’t it? One of the most grand, exciting, frightening, and rewarding experiences our family’s been in is really just a footnote to most casual friends. How can you express all of our adventures in a passing conversation in the corridor?
Makes me wonder what the guy next to me on the bus been up to this past year or so…
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* (No they aren’t aged, but our friendships have matured)
** (Yes, I’ve learned there’s a difference between the UK and The Continent.)