Michiganniversary

One year.  Wow.  One year.

January 21, 2015 is so vivid in my memory: a clear chaos of suitcases, goodbyes, and (naturally) a final latte at SeaTac.

One year ago today, I closed a distinct chapter of my life.  Twelve months down the road and thousands of miles across the country, I\’ve gained enough distance to reflect on that chapter through fresh eyes.  Seattle is as much a familiar friend as the many I left behind or the few from my previous Michigan chapters who awaited my return.  It\’s funny how a place can be as alive as the people within it.  Each city, each country in which I\’ve lived is as much a character in my story as those people.

Seattle saw me cross the border from one life decade to the next.  Seattle celebrated my first steps into marriage and parenthood.  Seattle and its suburbs gave me professional opportunities that stretched me as an educator, nudging me from classroom teaching to intervention to coaching.

I miss Seattle.

I miss Seattle, but Detroit has been good to us.

Moving and I have a strange relationship.  I love moving.  I love the adventure of starting anew, I love the unknowns, I love the anticipation of new friendships and new experiences.  But I also despise moving.  I despise the goodbyes.  I despise the stress of starting anew, I despise the unknowns, I despise the anticipation of memories fading, the likelihood of friendships fading, and the loneliness that comes with being new to a place, even within a place that I previously called home.

Some parts of returning to Michigan were a struggle.  Those first months were lonely ones.  I left my mama community behind right as I donned the temporary guise of stay-at-home mum and desperately needed fellow mamas for peace of mind.  I reached out to old friends, but not everyone reached back.  I had assumed that because I\’d made a point of catching up with friends and former colleagues each time I visited Michigan that those same friends and colleagues would be characters in my new chapter.  Many still remain on the periphery.  Finding the balance of living at my parents\’ in the multifaceted role of their daughter, Dan\’s wife, and the boys\’ mum came with its own challenges. Then there was the where-are-we-going-to-live question and the push-pull of stepping back into a professional role.

Do you know what?  It\’s all okay.  It\’s all part of the experience.

Many aspects of returning to Michigan have been truly wonderful.  I feel overwhelmingly loved by a handful of friends who awaited me with metaphoric open arms.  I have an emerging sense of balance; making time for family, friends, work, and my own interests is less a juggling act than an intricate dance that dips and sways and spins around me as I choreograph it each day.  One can never step into the same river twice, and as a result, my boys and I have had superb adventures as I reacquaint myself with Metro Detroit and they make their first introductions to this city that features as the central character in our latest chapter.

We have a lovely home in a community that fits us to a tee.  I\’ve had the good fortune to find a school that respects work-life balance and a role within it that fits my experiences.  I\’m so grateful to have my parents nearby, and for the strengthened grandparent-grandchild relationship that the proximity brings.

We\’ve lived through four seasons of Michigan, still relative newcomers, yet settling in more each day.  Seattle is such a close memory, and yet on this Michiganniversary, I can celebrate so many new memories that Michigan is helping to create.

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