For several weeks now, we’ve been waiting for our passports
and visas to arrive from London.
What we didn’t know was that the process of getting a visa
approved was the quick part. The process
of sticking said visa into your passport and mailing it to you could take
upward of a month. That’s a long time to wait when you didn't realize you'd have to wait so long.
I woke up last Monday feeling like my life was moving at a
glacial pace – like the universe was trying to teach me an unwanted lesson in
patience. I was stuck in a situation I could do nothing about and was feeling anxious
to move forward, even just a little. I was feeling awfully sick of making the
best of things.
No doubt I was the thundercloud in the house that morning. I
got up, made the kids breakfast then left them with Hunter so I could take my
car in to have its winter tires put on. I drove down the street feeling pent-up and miserable.
My
winter tires happen to be in the back of a friend’s truck. As I pulled up to
her office , I saw her working away inside. Then it struck me, “She’s one of
the best things that ever happened to me. I’m sure going to miss her.”
I loaded up my tires, gave my friend a wave, and drove out
to Tire Town as the sun rose in Kachemak Bay. It was spectacular. I love
sunrises in Homer. No two are the same and each one is breathtaking. I thought,
“You can’t beat this view, I’m sure going to miss it.”
I pulled into Tire Town and the men working behind the
counter greeted me with a smile and laugh. We chatted about icy road conditions
and they promised to have my car back in a half hour. I thought, “There are
some really cool people in Homer. I’m really going to miss them.”
I walked over to the coffee shop two doors down for coffee
and some wifi time. Along the way, two people I knew passed me on East End
Road. They waved. I waved back. I love that about small towns. Love it.
Got to the coffee shop and found that the coffee was
excellent and the wifi was strong…DAMMIT!! I really just wanted to be in a bad mood over
my stalled-out adventure. Homer wrecked it. Waiting out my trip to New Zealand
in this lovely place isn’t so bad after all.
Update: Our visa’s arrived
a week after my ruined bad mood. Our flights are booked and we leave on the 9th.
We’ll spend two days in Honolulu, letting the kids stretch and play, and then
we’ll get on that long haul to Auckland and finally down to Christchurch.