Home

I have been traveling a lot recently.  The Dominican Republic, the Galapagos Islands, Norway, the San Juan Islands, and soon will be going to Alaska.  As much as I love going to far away places, it is always a bit discombobulating. Especially the coming home. Its not just the jet lag or the piles of mail or the plants that have died from needed water.  Its the home itself that I see with a stranger's eyes, a home that could almost be someone else's. I find myself struggling to re-connect, to remember why I live in Portland, Oregon and not some other lovely place. I know there are people who travel constantly, but I can't imagine it. If I stay away too long I become a visitor to my own home. Yes, there are the familiar do-dahs, the pictures on the walls, the cats and dog, but it still takes me a while to settle.  I have to sit and send out psychic roots, cook a meal, do some laundry and dishes, make a To Do list.  The mundane brings me home!