Slowly Adjusting

It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Settle down folks! I haven't run away yet, just adjusting (slowly) to suburban life in New Hampshire and trying to find gainful employment.

Overnight I went from living in the back of my 1997 VW Jetta to sleeping in my own room with a lock on the door and space to roll over during the night. There are a lot of advantages to living in a sticks and bricks house but the number one best thing is a bathroom. Strange the things we come to appreciate.

Pierce Island, Portsmouth NH

I've been hanging out with the boys (the 5 and 7 year olds), playing lots of card games with Julie, and scouring the internet for jobs that sounds even slightly appealing. I'm not in a huge rush to get back to work, but I know that my savings won't last long so I need to buckle down.

Despite all the nice conveniences of living in a  house, I miss my car living a lot. Most of all I miss my alone time. I got use to hanging with the office ladies during the day and then having all evening (sometimes 7+ hours) to myself. I watched movies, read books, took myself for walks... Having a family around 24/7 is a big adjustment so I try to find some quiet time when I can. The other day I went to Pierce Island in Portsmouth for a few hours. I lay in the grass with an ice coffee and read Pride and Prejudice. It was wonderful and just what I needed before getting back to my errands.

My very cluttered room

In the past three days I sent off more than ten applications, took my boots to the cobbler, scanned 50 old photos, cleaned my mum's kitchen, and got an estimate for the belt I need replaced. I also found some almost new sneakers at Goodwill and have resolved to go for a walk every morning. This morning's walk was 2.5 miles, but we're only one day in and you all know how long my attention span lasts.

So there you have it folks, the life of a suburban house guest. I'm having fun with the family but getting antsy to be moving again and kind of regretting clearing my car out. If nothing else I could take off for a few days in Maine here and there. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and feel too exposed. Sometimes I forget that I don't have to carry all my stuff with me. Very often I am doing errands and realize that something I need is back at the house and not tucked away under a seat. Oh well, adjustments.

Thanks for the concerned emails!