January 2018 Update

It's already the end of January and the theme of this month for me has been: creating routine. It's always difficult after one of these big PCS moves to orient yourself and find a place in your new home. And honestly this overseas move has been much like the others, just with the added factors of being in a foreign country and not being close to family and friends. Overall though, the process has been much the same.

The first couple of months are all about getting your physical place, your home, situated. It's about J getting settled into his new squadron, finding the nearest grocery store, learning how to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, meeting new friends, finding your new favorite restaurants, you know finding your place literally.

But as we came into the new year, I found myself struggling to find space mentally. The holidays were over, we were done settling in physically, and now all of the sudden it's time to make space mentally and realize that this is going to be our home for the next few years. Since J and I started dating, we haven't lived in one place for more than a year, so it's difficult for me to get my head around actually living in one place for 3-4 years. AND of course it doesn't help that our new place is on the exact opposite side of the world from home.

Home. A word I've been struggling to redefine since this move. A word that means so much more than a building, or a city. Home is where your people are. It's where your heart is. But what do you do when your heart is in a bunch of different places? Obviously my heart is with my hubby and our little family unit here in Japan. But pieces are also with my family and friends back in the states.

Creating space mentally to accept and thrive in this new place and taking the time to create a feeling of home internally is the next step. The easy part is done. Our dishes and linens are put away. The boxes are unpacked, broken down and thrown out (on the porch, but still). I no longer have to use google maps to get everywhere. We have a favorite ramen joint, and I have a yoga class I like to go to. Now, it's time to take that routine and use it to thrive.

February is going to be a month of growth. If January's theme was Routine, the foundation of our life here, then February will be about putting up some walls (in a good way!) I want to spend time this coming month really creating a life that we love out of this routine. It's been quite rainy and cold here for the last couple of weeks but I'm hoping that this next month will begin to warm up so I can get outside and do some more exploring and traveling.

Here's to Spring in Okinawa!