There Are Things You Dearly Miss

In most of my blog entries, I have delivered a lot of "here's something that's interesting" or "here's something that's different" as well as the "this is SO not Muskegon". After correspondence with several friends and family, I've realized that this could be interpreted as a celebration of not being back home - even a bit of derision for the familiar. I'd like to clear this up.

Certainly, there are many things that are different and interesting and there is much that is not just like home; but the emphasis on those subjects should not be interpreted as "good riddance to bad rubbish". Rather, trying to share the new and different is an attempt to nourish and enhance the connection with those we love and miss back in "the real world". This time in Australia is a tiny blip on the radar of life and focusing on the new and interesting here is a bit like describing a vacation - you emphasize the stuff that is different and minimize the stuff that is mundane and boring.

I'm sure that those who have read blog this would not have been nearly as interested in the work we did to renovate a rather horrible office area at work into something slightly more current and enjoyable. To recount the mundane elements of the day-to-day working and home life doesn't make very interesting blog fodder - doing the laundry is still doing the laundry. Cleaning a toilet is still cleaning a toilet (even if the water swirls in the opposite direction).

That being said, there are also many things we miss - that sometimes you even try to put out of your mind because you know that you probably didn't assign them the proper value when you had them "at your finger tips" and now they are all but inaccessible. Given the distance and time zones, a simple impromptu telephone conversation is a seldom enjoyed experience.

So - here's a list of a few things that we miss a bunch:

A sky full of stars - you never see them because of the city lights
Breakfasts with friends - and the conversations they allowed us to have
Spontaneous events - the "Hey - are you guys busy tonight?" encounters
Cooking with our kids, or friends and family - times spent in the kitchen are some of the most fun!
A house (and a yard) full of family members for a special event or holiday
Grabbing a lunch after church with someone we want to spend time with
Reading in our living room with the fireplace going - no fireplaces needed here!
Grabbing a quick cup of Starbucks coffee with someone (even though Caribou is better)
Watching a sunset over Lake Michigan - especially with friends
Having to drive to Grand Rapids for shopping or eating - because the time spent driving gives us a chance to have a conversation
Running outside - way too hot here
Sharing a beach fire with friends & family (which provides an excuse for S'mores)
We miss being able to see our children - a lot!
Being able to celebrate (or commiserate) "face-to-face" when the opportunity arises
Many other things that probably seem trivial "back home" but because we are here, they are sorely missed

So - being "gone" has given us a renewed sense of importance for what we no longer have at hand. Count your blessings, make sure you don't neglect them because they're so available and remember us when you experience them.

Comments?