I am home from India. Actually, I have been home for nearly 9 days and this seemed to be the soonest I was ready to post something real about just that, being home.
Spending 6 months in a foreign country as a volunteer/missionary was hard. Hard probably is the understatement of the year and doesn't really begin to cover the depth of the experience. Though I say "hard" I don't mean to leave a negative connotation hanging in the air to be misinterpreted. It was also very good.
And, now I'm home. Though depending on the timing of my life I have used many different factors to determine what "home" actually is, at this point it is where my family is. I don't feel I have any other home at the moment, I suppose that is the nature of residing within a season of transition. It's good to be home...and it's also vulnerable. Home isn't only where your heart is, it's also where your heart is laid bare and suddenly you are the truest form of yourself. And that can be scary.
When I was in India, I had many moments in which I wanted nothing more than to be home...meaning back in the States, near my family, and surrounded by all the things I deemed as comfortable. Now I am here and feel more than a little disillusioned by it all. I am working hard to give myself extra grace during my time of reverse culture shock but I can't help but feel at moments that I wish I were back. This is probably a textbook case of the Grass is Always Greener mentality, as I was relieved and ready to leave India when I did. It's just that I wish I had done more, been more, seen more, stretched myself even further. I'm not one to sit long in the cesspool of regret so I won't allow myself to live behind today. I will however, continue to live becoming better equipped by what I have gone through.
It's bizarre how much I am willing to stay inside my head and process what's just taken place in my life...considering I have had a difficult time doing the simplest of tasks lately like choosing clothes to wear or grocery shopping. Having to make any decision at all feels a little unnatural and overwhelming. I have only to give myself time to readjust and relearn what I already know so well...it's just getting my heart and emotions to follow suit that is the challenge.
In less words, I am happy to be home. Every day is presenting me with something new to test my patience and my resistance. I am glad to have a close source of hope and a loving family by my side. Thank you to all who supported me during my time away. This life is nothing without people to share your trials and happiness with.
