Where'd you go?

It's been a few months since I've written on this blog!  In that time, I decided Jordan wasn't the best place for me to live and thrive, and moved home.  I came home on July 4, 2013.  It was a great day to arrive in the U.S., after a stressful and exhausting few months in Jordan.  I spent the next few days sleeping off jet lag, and trying to catch up with all the friends I've missed for so long.  I hit up a family reunion in Maryland, and a family beach trip in Virginia.  I took a few days to visit my best friend Becky in Richmond (along with her husband and sweet puppy dog).  I headed to Texas to celebrate my little brother's 'winging' ceremony for the US Air Force.  I spent two weeks basking in the northern California sunshine, and stuffing myself full of organic goodness and playing with my sister-in-law's adorable pug.

My goal during this respite was to go for long walks, do yoga every day, and write all the thoughts I've been having over the past few months.  You see, I decided to stop traveling quite so much.  I've been headed toward this decision for several months - somehow the schizophrenia of my life has caught up with me, and I've gotten tired.  Right after making those goals, I sprained my left ankle in an obstacle race - did you know a sprained ankle can take several months to heal?  Neither did I.

This past couple of months has been a season in which I'm learning humility - that my plans for health, for fitness, for a new job, for anything can change in a moment.  I'm not the one in control of my destiny, God is.  Rest and recuperation can look way different than I expected, and that is ok.  It's scary that this is not the best time to look for a job - the end of the fiscal year, Congress in recess during August, and a budget crisis in our government.  It's made me wonder how I add value to the world.  How do I contribute, if it's not through my job?  How do I serve, if it's not to people in a war zone overseas?  How do I take part in the world, without stealing from it?  While I'm not sure of the answers, I trust that my future is secure because God's handling it.

Yesterday, I felt so discouraged - like I had nothing to offer.  This morning, I did a headstand.  How do you moderate these feelings?  And what do you do with a blog about travel, when you're going to stop traveling?  Well, I'm figuring all these things out, and I'll let you know what I discover.  In the meantime, thanks for reading.