All the Small Things

It's been awhile - and for good reason: my husband and I moved back to America at the end of June. We left behind so many wonderful people and experiences, I'm having a hard time processing, believing it was even real. Such are the throes of culture shock, I guess. 

This is also the exact best time to keep writing. 

One of the things I love asking people is what they miss - either where there coming from or going to. There are big ones of course (friends! family!) but today I find myself ruminating on the small things:

The small things I enjoy about returning to America:

• Being able to wear high-heeled shoes, and not wonder a) how I’m going to navigate a rocky (or gravel) road or b) if my heels are going to sink into the grass at any point during the day.
• Ice cream, Dairy Queen or otherwise, and the subsequent takeover of the Caramel and Sea Salt flavor. 
• Caribou coffee shops – being able to get coffee to go and/or just sit in a cozy coffee shop and chill out with the free, fast, wi-fi.
• Free, fast, wi-fi.
• Hot water, anytime.
• Being able to call anyone in the US at any time. Including my sister and my best friend, whom I missed texting.
• My beautiful Raleigh road bike. Love. Swoon. Love, love, love.
• Showing my legs in public. Legs! Everywhere! And mine aren’t even the worst.
• Target. This could also go on the worst list, but I’m still only three weeks out.
• The softest bedsheets I have ever felt in my life.

The small things I miss about Malawi;

• WhatsApp. Man, that thing was amazing.
• Having a routine. This will change, as I get more into a routine here, but I wow. I do miss that structure right now. 
• Running into the same great people at the same events/places all over town. I felt like I had a handle on all the activities that were going on in a given weekend.
• Community.
• Getting excited about finding asparagus (or insert other hard to get item) in the grocery store.
• The hustle and the open air awesomeness of the used clothing market.
• My Rav4.
• Game night.
• Dare I admit it, Porcupine Ridge.

I know that many of the small things from Malawi will eventually find there way here. We've already talked about instituting a game night, for example. However, one of the neat things about blogging is capturing the in-between times. I am in the tweeniest of in-between times right now, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other until things feel "normal" again. 

Until then, I'm writing a lot of lists.