Readjustment and Processing

It's been a bit difficult readjusting to "American" life.  This is so for a couple of reasons.  One: Jet lag has been quite a pain in the butt.  It has caused me to wake up between 4:00 and 4:30 at least three times since we've been home.  Sunday, actually, I woke up, still dark outside, and I had no idea where I was.  The house was dark and I was staring into the abyss trying to have my mind catch up with my current place of being.  For a good, few seconds I was totally lost, not scared, but just in wonder of where I had gotten myself.  I could swear I was staring at very tall columns to an uninviting, 16th century building.  But, alas, it was just the bedroom wall.

Secondly:  I'm told to either form or break a habit, repetition is key.  I believe it is something in the nature of 21 days or 26 days of repetitive action is all that is needed to form a habit.  Well, being in Europe for 22 days has resulted in, both Eliz and I, forming some habits.  Mostly with our personal belongings this comes to play.  For example, when we traveled, every time we neared a crowed at a museum, or metro station, or on the street, or whatever, my hand would immediately go into my front right pocket (which I had moved my wallet to in order to protect it and not wear a goofy money belt).  By doing this, I had no problem ever in any part of Europe.  Eliz would do the same with her purse.  But, this is something we carried over back to the states.  We hadn't noticed it until we were walking into Sam's this past weekend.  We hit the front door to be held up in a group of people.  My hand, darted to my front pocket only to realize, my wallet was no longer there and the likeliness of getting pick pocketed in Shreveport's Sam's was slim at best.  Crazy paranoia we need to get over.

The last is just not being on vacation, the real world, our real lives, although thankful and wonderful as they are, it's just not vacation.  So, with our chins pointing up, a smile on our face, a good positive attitude, and trepidation and sadness on our hearts, we went back to work today. Sad as our vacation was officially over, trepidation at reestablishing the skin of the worker bee we had so successfully shrugged off over the past three weeks.  But don't worry...we've already begun plans for our next great adventure!


Here are some videos from our travels:
The First one is from a soccer game in Berlin, the second is from a prayer night in Taize, the Third is from the catacombs, the fourth is a group we found in the metro station, just trying to earn a buck a guess.