Saturday, October 17, 2009

Home Silver Bird

I realize that many folks who read my next sentence are going to think that I am not in my right mind, ..., but here goes. I have a definite limit to how much paradise and fun and relaxation that I can tolerate before my skin starts to get itchy. I reach a point where I would rather chew on a ball of tin foil than stay another moment away from my humble and normal (pronounced hum-drum) existence. The feelings that I experience include a palpably heightened level of anxiety and edginess and irratibility. Perhaps you too have sensed such feelings when you are away from home that tell you it is time to return.

I have been in Hawaii for a week now. I have taken a once in a lifetime trip with my 11-year-old daughter. We have shared experiences and sights and sounds that will last us the rest of our lives. Things have gone as well as I could have foreseen. Clearly a unique and special opportunity that I would not trade for anything. However, my mind and body are fatigued from the strain of being away from what I know. I am not sure that I can really pin down exactly why I hit a wall. I think that it has something to do with needing to be back at work, to the place where I can do what defines me, where a large piece of my identity is formed.

Today, I am heading back to my little corner of the world. I want to get back home. I need to get back home. The pull on my mind and heart and body is too strong to resist or ignore. I pray that the Lord will bless my journey and guide me and my little one safely home.