Home Again.

We've been home for a week. Everyone is sleeping through the night again (more or less). The house, which was sparkling clean when we walked in the door last week is getting cluttered and needs to be cleaned already. We are enjoying having Mimi and Big Daddy right down the street, and plans for the weekend. Everything is basically back to normal. But some how it doesn't feel quite normal. It feels busy and a little hard to manage. If feels like playing the guitar for the first time in a long time. We know how to make all the chords, but our fingers are feeling a little sore and tired. We are adjusting back to life in the US.

The kids started back to preschool and mother's morning out this week. We are all having a little bit of separation anxiety. After four months of hanging out being homebodies, walking to the market and having friends come to us, it is a little hard to get out the door and to school at 9:00 everyday. I am remembering that being rushed has been a part of daily life for most of my life (I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator...) and I am now realizing that I don't much enjoy it.

So my question over the last week has been, How do we maintain the pace of life that I came to enjoy so much in Ghana? How do I maintain the pace of life that allowed lots of time to read books to Katie and lay on the bed and tickle John Mark, the pace of life that allowed Ash and me to walk into the market together every so often or sit over breakfast for an hour. How do we continue to enjoy spending evenings watching movies together and playing Sudoku while taking part in all the things we missed while we were away? How do we enjoy our friends and family, and take advantage of wonderful school opportunities for our kids or enjoy the good roads that make 20 miles not that far to travel for a visit with friends or to go to church AND still enjoy a simple life, that isn't rushed or busy. How do we do all the things we want to do with out adding in all the stress that seems to be a part of doing it?

Well, I obviously have not figured it out. This blog is a case in point. This entry which I started back in November has sat in my drafts for over two months. So I guess I need to keep working on it. I am tempted to say that it isn't possible to meld the two lifestyles. But I don't believe that is true. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet.