Warm

It's 9:30 on Saturday night and I finally find a moment to play catch-up. I am listening to the trains howl north, as they do every twenty minutes or so. I can hear occasional voices on the street outside as people walk to and from the bus stop on Rhode Island Avenue. In a while I will probably hear the familiar snap of the mouse trap going off in the kitchen, as it does nearly every day. These are all noises that unsettled me a couple of months ago. Now they are familiar and almost comforting.

Life is good here. Here is the evidence:

- Two weeks ago we finally had our "house warming party." At our first social event less than three months after we moved in, we had nearly fifty people over. Family, friends from high school, friends from Peace Corps, friends from the neighborhood, friends from work. It was a stark contrast to the first "Solstice Party" we had in Concord, at which we had three guests (Peter's folks and my one new mom-friend). It took us a good three years to build up a social base like the one we already have here. That's good.

- I love my job. I have never been able to say that before. I have enjoyed teaching, but struggled through most days in substandard conditions. Typically I have felt unappreciated and unsupported, exhausted, overwhelmed and lost. At Two Rivers, while there are plenty of challenges and problems, I cannot think of one detail worth complaining about. More often than not I have "good days." Before this year I was lucky to have "good moments" of teaching. That's more than good; it's a miracle.

- We were able to celebrate my mother's 65th birthday with her this year. I have not celebrated my mother's birthday with her in well over a decade. Usually I don't even get my act together to send a card. My parents see Jasper and Josie nearly every week. They will pitch in by helping out daily when Peter is in Brazil next month. Wrap around child care for sick days and school holidays is not stressful. Peter and I have had more than a few dates since we moved here. Being near my parents is very good.

- On Thursday night I went to an African dance class in the neighborhood. There were at least 30 women and girls in the class ranging from age three to seventy three. I was the only one not of African decent. The teacher was phenomenal. The drummers were amazing. I haven't really danced in years. That is exceptionally good.

- Today we spent the afternoon at the Arboretum with good friends. The weather is still warm enough for short sleeves. The fall colors, though no rival to New England's sugar maples, were still stunning. We walked through the Asian gardens, along the Anacostia, outdoors for hours, just minutes from our house. That is essential.

There are pangs of "homesickeness" for New England when we read facebook posts of friends in New Hampshire and realize how much we are missing. There are downsides to living here (Peter's commute being one of the bigger ones). But we try not to complain and are making the most of our new surroundings.