Back in the land of loud, angry, rushed people. Seriously. I can't decide if it's New York or the US so I'm going to hang on to that statement and see how it holds as I spend the next week traveling around here.
One bonus of being home? I know what cars look like when I call an Uber! Other than 95% of them are Priuses, I have a clue as to what a Toyota Corolla looks like. Or your average Hyundai. Pete and I routinely commented on having zero clue to what we were looking for when expecting a car. Perodua? Proton? Myvi? Axia? I got nothing! Kuala Lumpur can have the title of the rudest Uber drivers, by the way.
Another beautiful thing in the US: When looking at a menu you can reasonably expect the food listed to be available. If not, a waiter generally lets you know ahead of time that tonight chicken is not available. Cool. In Asia I have found that a Plan B is an absolute must, Plan C goes a long way as well. Or sometimes you just have to walk out of the place a la Heather and I. When A, B and C failed we needed to get grub somewhere where they actually had some.
Food, oh food, how I love thee. I'm scared to step on a scale when I get home but I haven't ended my eat-everything-in-sight tour yet. NYC with its delicious tacos, sushi, gelato, pastrami and lox did not disappoint. Being home will undoubtedly make my trainer work harder in September and that's just as well. Bring on the cooking, grandma!
Another thing in Michigan that awaits me is am 8 year old fella with whom I had the pleasure to videochat every day for the last 5 weeks. Sometimes Wi-Fi didn't cooperate but most days we got to see each other, no matter how pixilated.
I'm very lucky that I get to spend almost every waking hour with my kiddo. Having 75% custody means I am "on" most of the time. My life is very unbalanced that way, I'm a single mom 10 days in a row with no family in sight (but amazing friends willing to help!) and 4 days of being an adult with zero kid responsibilities. I am also lucky that he loves his grandparents and great grandma and impatiently awaits his annual visit to speak Russian, go to Goldfish Swim School every day, eat way too much ice cream, do one week of camp (this year it was Harry Potter Lego camp, how cool is that?!) and take a break from me. Absence does make the heart go fonder! And not an ounce less important, I get to take an extended period of time for me. When I started my long trips in 2013 I was being judged left and right. He needs you! Don't you miss him? Wow, I could never do that! My kid would cry ALL. DAY. LONG.
My kid does need me. I do miss him. But he also has an army of people who adore him and jump at every opportunity to be a part of his life and leave an impact. The pictures and videos I have gotten in the last month have reassured me that the last 5 summers have been perfect. For both of us.
One thing I was thinking about as I get ready to see him is that I haven't missed his horrid eating. I have not missed begging anyone to eat a vegetable or finish their meal. Just thinking about it really stressed me out! But that's the importance of being gone and getting myself out of the every day rut. I was able to step back and see what I need to focus on as we make new memories together in the next 5 weeks. Remi and mama tour starts today and I'm excited!
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