Finding Comfort In the Uncomfortable

Friday, September 20: React to this term: comfort.

Comfort can mean so many different things to so many different people, and its meaning can change throughout your life depending on what's going on in your life at the time.  One thing I've realized in the past year or so is that (at least for me), it often takes going through a time when you feel uncomfortable to really realize what comforts you and what comfort means for you. 

Picking up and moving to the other side of the world was indeed a very uncomfortable life event.  As time goes on, I become more and more comfortable here, but in the beginning, I was very aware of how different and uncomfortable I was in this new place.  When the people, places, and things around you change drastically, it's hard to find anything that is comforting to you or that makes you have that "at home" feeling.  Everything is foreign, unexpected, confusing, and just plain different.  These are the times when you are very aware of what people, places, and things help bring you comfort.  I remember when after having been here for about a month, our shipment finally arrived.  I was overwhelmed with a feeling of comfort as I unpacked the boxes and boxes full of our belongings from back home- clothes, linens, photos, things to hang on the walls, even having my own kitchen and cooking items made me feel more comfortable and at home here. 

Over the past couple weeks, I've been very aware again of the things that bring me comfort, but this time for a different reason.  David and I are finalizing our travel plans for our trip "home" for Christmas.  This will be the first time in nearly a year and a half that either of us will be back in the motherland.  Now that I'm in that "going home countdown mentality," it's funny how automatic it seems for me to start making lists of things I want to do, people I want to see, places I want to go, and food I want to eat when we are stateside.  And these are all things that are comforting to me... things I don't have access to here in Australia.  It's almost like I'm all too aware that I will most likely feel that "uncomfortable-ness" after we return from our visit home, so I'm planning ahead to "stockpile" as much comfort as I can when we're home.  Let's not talk about how embarrassing it is though to realize how many things on my "to do" list are actually food-related.  :-) 

This gorgeous Phoenix desert landscape has become such a comforting sight to me over the years.

One of my favorite places in Houston - Discovery Green Park

Being away for Thanksgiving and Christmas last year was tough, but being able to see my family via Facetime was such a huge comfort during that time.

Comfort food = Mexican food (This isn't even "real" Mexican food since I found it in Australia, but it was as close as I could get).

In just a few months, I will hook myself up to an IV of my ultimate comfort food/drink- DDP.  And yes, that is my head on a stick.  You can read HERE about last Christmas when my family took "Megan On A Stick" along for all the Christmas festivities back home

One final thing that I've started wondering about recently.  I wonder, if after having really made this new place our home for over a year, if we will feel any of that "uncomfortable-ness" back in the US, if we will miss some of our new found comforts from here.  It will be interesting to see what feelings I have when it comes time to return after our trip.