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Photograph of You
Shelly: Will you still like me when I involuntarily wet myself? *sigh* Only 8.5 hours until the weekend. My job is so weird. In the last couple of months it�s gone from being something that I sort of slept through all day to something that actually requires my brain power and energy. I�ve taken on something of a leadership role here, and I find that I�m really enjoying it. It�s exhausting though, so by the end of the week I�m ready to shut the brain off and coast on through. I�ve been back in Minnesota for almost 2 and a half years now. This place has never felt more like my home. I remember the first time I felt like North Carolina was my home � it was right after a trip to Minnesota when the plane touched down in Raleigh and I breathed a sigh of relief to be back where my normal life was. It took a lot of work to make North Carolina my home. It took a long time for me to make friends and learn the ins and outs of the place. When I finally did that, it felt like such a huge accomplishment. In fact, it wasn�t until I finally did that that I was able to turn my thoughts to moving back here. I really wasn�t sure that moving back here was the right decision. I was incredibly torn. I missed my family and I missed the Midwest, but there were things I knew I�d miss about North Carolina too. I had friends there. I had a life there. And after all the work I put into making that place my home, did I really want to leave it behind? In the end, the decision was easy. Every sign in my life pointed me back in this direction, though I still wasn�t positive it was the best decision for me. It took a while for me to get reacclimated to this place. I was sick for the first 3 months that I was back here. I never re-developed the strong circle of friends that I had here before I left. In many ways, it�s been just as difficult to make this my home again as it was in North Carolina � the only difference is that I had a safety net here. So it�s 2.5 years later now and I�m positive I made the right choice. My life isn�t perfect and there are days when my stress level is through the roof, but for the most part I�m extremely happy with where my life is right now. The boy, this thing that we have, has totally caught me by surprise. It�s nothing like I expected it to be � it far exceeds my expectations over and over again. It�s like a huge present has been dropped into my lap, and now it�s Christmas every day. My job drives me crazy and there are days when I am positive it�s giving me gray hairs, but I�m still so much happier here than I was at Duke. This is a much healthier work environment. And my family and friends are what they always have been � my champions. My safety net. My most solid foundation. Even this town that I was so eager to run away from 5 years ago � it continually surprises me. It�s not the most exciting place in the world, but there are charms and quirks about it that I appreciate so much more now. Little secret places tucked away off the street. It�s cold here more often than it�s warm, but there�s such beauty here too. And, of course, these are my people � for better or for worse. I�m home. I�m happy to be here. It�s been such an amazing journey. Happy Friday y�all� |
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