Reality Check

Lately the hubs and I have been very nostalgic.   A few nights ago I found myself staring at the ceiling trying to fall asleep.  When I couldn’t sleep I picked up my computer, opened iPhoto and went through every album I had from my years in Hawaii.  The next morning I told the hubs what I had done and he said he had been doing the same only a few days earlier.

I’m not sure if it is because many of our friends are still in Hawaii and with school starting back, there is a constant flow of scenic/magnificent/beautiful/enticing photos on Facebook that make me happy/sad/envious/nostalgic all at the same time. Maybe it’s because we have been away so long that we can clearly see the difference and recognize what we are missing.  And maybe it’s because it’s the place where we met, fell in love, spent the first year of our life together and shared the best of memories.  Either way it’s been hitting us lately, and hitting us hard.

You know the saying, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” Well this wasn’t the case for us.  We knew how blessed we were to be able to live in such a beautiful place with such a special atmosphere. We recognized the uniqueness of the situation and tried to live it up while we could.  Yes, there were some things we took for granted but for the most part we were just grateful. 

And now thousands of miles away from our beautiful island, I find myself having a harder time accepting my fate.  Some days I’d do anything just to walk across hot sand or feel the salt water dry on my skin after a dip in the ocean. 

This week in People President and Michelle Obama were interviewed about their thoughts of the election. I really liked what Michelle Obama said to one of the personal questions:

            Q: Are [the girls] personally invested in staying put for four more years?

A: “The thing I try to tell my girls…is that whatever happens, we’ll be okay. That is one thing this move showed us, that home is where we are…The truth is that if we’re together, we’re going to be fine.”

So I’m trying to adopt Michelle’s saying.  While my preferred scene of choice my be the ocean, I know I wouldn’t want to be there without my husband and right now my husband is in a small town in east Tennessee. So here I am and here I will be for another three years.  There are many wonderful things about where we live. It’s time to take off the blinders and enjoy the journey in store. As long as we are together, I know I’ll be okay.