This is probably the last big bounce post. It's probably time to start seeing everything as normal, everyday life.
I'm not going to lie, it's been a rough transition and the adjustment has not been immediate.
We were well loved on the first few days we were here. The neighbors left us a huge basket of cleaning supplies and wonderful note welcoming us to the area. It included important numbers and a little about themselves. So helpful! Said neighbors are so sweet! The wife was over last week and walked through the house. She got teary seeing how different and clean it looked. That made me feel good.
One of our neighbors is a man my husband works with and his wife. He came a couple days to check on us and even mowed our yard the day after our stuff arrived. His wife brought us our first home cooked meal that weekend, that we savored for a couple days.
Our real estate agent and her husband have been so good to us. They answer questions, helped us figure out little things we didn't understand like the water softener. They had cleaners clean and trash companies haul off the massive amount of trash. They have been awesome! She definitely went above and beyond.
On the downside, we've struggled mightily. The night after we took possession of the house, I was so overwhelmed and upset. I cried and begged my husband to take me home. He very kindly reminded me that this was home now. It didn't feel like it. My friends weren't here. My stuff wasn't yet here. I didn't like it and I wanted to go. I love that he was strong at that very moment. Besides that one night, I've not had any major melt downs.
My husband, however, has and quite regularly. I feel so terrible for him. He was close to his family, they aren't here. Even though he works for the same company, he's had to go in as a new employee, learning new faces and a new job. His work space is different, his home space is different. In addition, he's having to learn how to do life without multiple jobs. So much of his extra time was tied up in other jobs that he never had down time. Now he has more than he knows what to do with. Everything is different and everything is hard. As his wife, my heart aches for him. I know he longs for something familiar and I can't give that to him in big enough ways. I know he feels forgotten and lost a lot of the time. His struggle is driving me to prayer more than ever.
We have not had much luck finding a church yet. I know after only three Sundays, I shouldn't be discouraged yet. However, our options are so limited here and nothing has been even remotely worth a second visit. Again, our faith is being tested in big ways. Church is how we are going to build community, especially for me.
There have been adjustments for me that have been great. I have become more focused on just being a wife. There isn't much else to do in the middle of no where. I do the majority of the laundry. There are rarely dirty dishes in the sink. Dinner is always cooked at home and I usually make sure my husband has something ready for lunch. The bed is always made and the house is usually clean. I feel energized by having the windows open and feeling the cool breeze.
Things are still so different in the area. We are in a town of 800 people and we live about 3 miles away from it in the country. The people are different. They live a slower paced life without fear. I was shocked to learn that most people don't like their doors. You don't see people speeding or road rage. People are far more generous here too. No kidding. In the next town over, they have some massive charities that serve people from all over this region.
Shopping is not the same. There is Walmart and a couple grocery stores. We can get what we need, but not necessarily what we are used to having. The cost of groceries are about 25% cheaper, but gas is about 25% more expensive. We don't have a lot of options for dining either. We have your basic fast food places, although not a Sonic anywhere. The only chain sit down dining place we have is Bob Evans. Needless to say, we eat at home almost every meal except once or twice a week. I'm a bit sad. Some friends gave us restaurant gift cards before we left and we don't have a way to use them.
I've tried to develop a routine. Cleaning Monday. Laundry Tuesday and Friday. Grocery shopping Friday. Saturday we try to visit a larger city for things we need.
We had a couple groups of people tell us they were going to try to visit over the upcoming holiday weekend. We were totally excited to see some familiar faces. Both have changed their plans. I think we both long to be with familiar people who love us. It's hard being in a place where you know nobody and haven't built any relationships.
Each day does get a little easier. But, it is easy to feel lost. It's easy to feel forgotten. It's impossible to know when those things start to get better. For now, we take it one day at a time. Hopefully the days get a little easier a little more often.
No comments:
Post a Comment