Happy August!  I’m just back from a lovely one-week trip to Seattle with my husband.  It always feels so good to get away and I am grateful to be able to do that from time to time.

Transitioning back into everyday life can be a little tricky, like trying on an old pair of jeans.  You expect them to be as comfortable as they always were – to hit in all the same places. They’re wearable, but something’s different. Just like changing waistlines, a break from our usual routine creates growth in other ways.  Re-entry is that place between hanging-on to the spaciousness of travel, and the readiness to return to responsibilities and everyday life.

This trip was particularly meaningful to me.  We were visiting with dear old friends from my childhood and college whom I hadn’t seen in many years.  Distance and life in general have kept us apart, but now that my kids are settled into their own lives, I have the freedom to travel and reconnect… and reconnect we did.  We fell right back into the old laughter and familiar banter.  Back to the comfort of knowing that even after all of these years, these are people who want the best for me, and I for them.  Funny, but going away this time was like coming home.  Now, having left those relationships again, coming home feels a little like ‘going away’.  Make sense?

So, my jeans don’t fit exactly the same as they did when I left (which could also be due to the amount of ice cream I consumed), but I’ll give myself the gift of this space, and settle back in soon enough.  I am happy to be home.

Since many of you are also traveling this time of year, I’d love to hear your thoughts about re-entry, transitioning, old friends or whatever else this brings up for you.

Happy Trails!

Joan