Return of the Mac

After spending much of the summer traveling, I am home. A few days before I returned, I felt ready to be back and achy for the familiarity of Chicago and the US. But rather than immediate relief and rest, I've been feeling disorientation and a bit of loneliness. Being home is bittersweet. I love being in my neighborhood and seeing familiar faces, and I'm happy that I'll see my friends and family soon, but I feel like I came back with not quite all of myself. The cliche goes that home is where the heart is, and if it's true, then that helps explain why I feel not quite all here. I think we all lose part of ourselves when we love, and that includes loving not only people but also places. At the same time that I feel such swelling gratitude for all that I have in my life, I also feel some sorrow as wonderful experiences are relegated to fond memories and photos. One of my aims lately has been to live more consciously in the present moment, though, so I'm trying to remind myself to take the opportunity during this relative uneventfulness to enjoy some solitude, allow myself some rest, and perhaps start on some new goals for fitness and creativity.