Merging In

I have decided that moving to a new country and setting up your life is like merging into traffic on a highway.  It's already flowing without you.  You just get on the sliproad, step on the gas, hope that they move over and make room for you, and start driving. 

Life is going on all over the world, with or without me.  People are living their lives, experiencing what they are meant to do.  I am doing the same.

I haven't made any friends here yet, but I'm not worried.  When I am meant to meet someone I can have a deeper connection with, I'll meet her.  In fact, I have quite enjoyed my time alone.  Many days I take the girls to a soft play area, toting my ipad along with me.  They play, have a blast, and I get a cup of tea and read my books.  I have finished so many books since I've moved here, and as of now, I consider them to be my friends....my company.  Well, the books and my girls.

My girls and I are closer than we've ever been.  I am more in tune with them now, and I feel like I understand them better.  That's because we spend every day together and don't have many distractions.  I am stressed out less here.  I'm not sure why, but I am.  I like walking to the store for milk and bread, my girls tagging along beside me.  Cameron got a bike for her birthday, and we like riding it around town, Madison and I in tow. 

We love going for walks in nature, and that is a completely new discovery for me.  I never knew I loved walking and enjoying the outdoors so much, and the one I thought would enjoy it the least (Cameron) is the one who gets down-and-dirty the most (I love that she surprised me on that one).  We gear-up with our wallies, coats and hats, and we set off onto the trails, picking blackberries, splashing through mud puddles, and pretending to fish.  I pack picnics and we sit in fields overlooking the mountains and eat together.  I love them so much during those moments, and can appreciate them for the beautiful children they are.

I enjoy observing life around me and people-watching.  I like seeing how life is different here and how it's the same.  I realize, when we can go to the store and buy ipads, microwaves and blenders, that culturally, life is very similiar here to American life.  However, the pace of life, the people, the landscape....all very different. 

I can also appreciate how quickly humans adapt to change.  Just a few weeks ago, I was struggling with driving, with finding the grocery store.  Now, I not only know where the stores are, but I can manuever in and out of those tiny parking spaces with a confidence I didn't know I possessed.  When I get gun-shy about pulling out of an especially cramped space, I can actually hear myself saying, "Just do it, Trisha!"  It's quite cool.

So, I'm learning.  I'm watching.  I'm especially watching myself adjust to this place, and am in awe of how quickly and easily it's come to me.  It's like I was meant to be here, and when I go inside myself and look honestly, it seems that I've known all along how much I would love it.  And every time I merge onto that highway, stick shift in my left hand, I am reminded of how grateful I am that I've had the opportunity to join life here, in Scotland.