It's been nearly a month since I left France. It feels weird just typing that phrase. Because at this point, it's hard for me to grasp that I was there at all.
When I stepped off the plane onto Canadian turf for the first time in over 10 months, there was this feeling of having come full-circle; of ending where I began. Everything I had left behind came to greet me, unchanged. And it was not a glorious re-entry into my old life. There was no parade with blasting horns and dancing girls to celebrate my return. Was that what I had been expecting?
Eh. Maybe a little. My imagination tends toward the eccentric.
I was expecting to be the shiny stone hurled into the pond of my former life. Breaking the surface dramatically, sending ripples in all directions. But life is not a pond, it's an ocean, and we are really much more like pebbles, trying to find our place and make an impact in the endlessness of it all. This is a truth I find both terrible and inspirational.
I wanted to end this blog with a word of wisdom, a nugget of insight that might reward my readers in some miniscule degree for having followed me this far. The best I can leave you with is this:
Life goes on.
Not matter how bad or incredibly good a situation gets, no matter how far you manage to remove yourself from all you know, Life will find a way to move forward. Move with it. Don't try to beat it for time, and don't weigh yourself down to stay where you are, longer than you should. Wear sunscreen. Enjoy all you can, and endure all you must. Reach out when others swirl by, Life is best weathered with friends. It is also very short, so put little umbrellas in your drink whenever you get the chance. Don't sweat the small stuff, but never let the little things pass you by.
I might travel to Europe again, I might not. I might have a kid that goes on her own exchange one day, I might not. I might start another blog. I might not. But right now, none of that really matters. Because all that ever matters, is right now.
With all my love and pixie dust,
Sarah B
