Return to Indiana

It is always nice to go home again….and we are both lucky to have work families that welcome us back into offices whenever we pass through town. Last week was our first “pass through” since we left. In many respects nothing and yet so much had changed in our time away.

Jerry left West Lafayette on August 9th and did not return until October 19th. I left West Lafayette on August 17th and returned with Jerry on October 19th. On this trip there were the things that we had to do (eye glasses appointment, hair cut, go to the storage unit, etc.) and things we wanted to do. We WANTED to go into our offices. To see people. To reconnect with friends. For me, part of it was to prove that we hadn’t deserted them.

In the lead up to us leaving town there were several times that I would think in my head “we are just moving…we aren’t dying. We will be back! Promise!” I verbalized those thoughts to a friend a couple times and she explained something to me: people always SAY they will come back, but for whatever reason, it usually doesn’t happen. Mind. Blown. In all the busyness of packing, prepping and preparing myself emotionally, it hadn’t occurred to me that friends and fellow employees could be thinking that same thing.

It was important to me to be different. To hold myself to the same standard that I hold others to. To prove that the relationships we had built and the time that we spent with people mattered. That our FRIENDS mattered. Granted, we have only been back once, the next trip is already planned. A full week next time! Wheeeeee

Turns out a lot can change in a town in just over 2 months. New construction projects had started, old projects had ended. Time had marched on and on, with no attention paid to whether or not we were present. That is the way things are suppose to happen. Progress. Change. It is also what we should expect of ourselves. Progress. Change. It was Jerry that helped me learn (probably during a disagreement) that if I just toss up my hands and say this is me deal with it, I will never change and grow. I will never become a better version of myself. I would just be stuck, never better or worse, just the same. How boring! Each day is a new day to be the best version of yourself you can be. Challenge accepted 🙂

We stayed in our old neighborhood. No, not in a creepy stalker type way, but at a friends house who lives in the same neighborhood. We walked dogs, ate at some favorite places, and surrounded ourselves with familiar. It truly still felt like home. That being said, I had a huge smile on my face when I left. Why? The adventure! We were going somewhere brand new to both of us. We didn’t have a plan beyond a place to stay, but we had 2 weeks to explore a new region and THAT makes me happy. (Yes, it also makes me anxious, but also very happy.)

Thank you to everyone that we got to see! Thank you to our offices for welcoming us with open arms! Thank you for giving us a “home” that is way more than 4 walls and a roof over our head. It means more to us than words can express.

Until next time, NB

P.S. There is a song by Andy Grammer called Back Home. Part of the lyrics say:

“And no matter where we go
We always find our way back home”

So VERY true. NB