Trust the Universe

I'm kind of a control freak. Don't look so shocked! Surely you knew this about me?

Over time I've found that the Universe has this annoyingly cheerful way of providing me with countless opportunities to learn the same lesson over and over again until it finally sinks in. Here's how it goes:

Universe: (presents something to me) Are you ready to deal with this? 

Me: Nope, not yet. 

Universe: Okay!

...time passes...

Universe: How 'bout now? Ready yet?

Me: Nope.

Universe: Okay!

...more time passes...

Universe: How 'bout now? Ready now?

Me: Definitely NOT now.

Universe: Okay!

...and so on and so on until FINALLY, I decide that I'm ready to deal with whatever glorious lesson the Universe wants me to learn.

As a control freak, the big lesson that I keep having the opportunity to learn is "Trust the Universe" or, for the religious folks out there "Trust God." Me, I'll take the Universe option...it rings truer in my brain.

What this looks like right now is me knowing, not just in my brain but in my heart, that everything ALWAYS works out. It may not look like I think it should, and it may not look like I want it to look, but really, it all works out exactly the way it's supposed to.

When I'm planning my husband's 40th birthday party and can't find a suitable venue after searching for a month, it will all work out.

When I get my period after our eighth month of attempted baby-making (doh!), it will all work out.

When I'm still getting horrible headaches even after almost seven weeks of upper-chiro treatment, it will all work out.

And deep down inside, I know it will, because it always has. I just have a hard time remembering sometimes, that's all. And so I know that the Universe will keep providing me with opportunities to remember. Thank you, Universe! :)

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All Good Things...

...Must Come to an End.

Our time in France is almost over...we fly home to San Diego on Monday.

I can't believe we've been away from home for over nine weeks already, and that we've been here in Villefranche for almost eight of those! It has been an *AMAZING* adventure, and as it winds down the feelings are bittersweet. On one hand, I'm super excited to be going home. Home to our comfy bed, home to our friends, home to good sushi, home to our dryer (seriously!), home to our cars, home to awesome San Diego. And on the other hand, I'm sad to be leaving this beautiful place we've called home these last two months. The picturesque views, the cruise ships in our harbor, the three-day weekends of adventure and fun, the fresh bread, the buses and trains, the freedom from our "things-we-have-to-do" syndrome.

We have both learned so much about ourselves and each other this trip. What we like, what we don't like, what we'd do differently the next time. And really, that was the whole point of this adventure. To go out there and do this thing we've said we wanted to do for so long, see what it's like, and see if we'd want to do it again (yes!!).

Probably the biggest lesson I learned about myself is that it's really important for me to speak the language of the place I'm living in. Not just so I can have bare-minimum-to-get-by communication, but so that I can actually socialize with people! I am a social creature by nature, and to not be able to just shoot the shit with people was really missing for me.

Almost as big a lesson is realizing that small-town living is not for me. My whole life I've really only ever lived in suburbia, first in Silicon Valley, and then in San Diego. Villefranche sur Mer (which is not necessarily as small-town as you can get, I grant you), though quaint and gorgeous, just doesn't have enough life to it. This was never more apparent to me than after we spent a few days in bustling, amazing London. So maybe next time we'll have to try big city living (I vote for London!), though I imagine I'd get tired of that as well.

All in all, this has been the adventure of a lifetime, and I am SO VERY THANKFUL that all the pieces came together so that we could do it! We are so very blessed!!

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