Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A Lesson in the art of humility


It never fails to surprise me, how quickly you can be humbled. On the trip to our new perch, my husband and I were both persuaded that we were absolutely going to despise living here. We were after-all, leaving behind friends, our home, and a part of the country that we had grown to love and respect. Once here, issues arose with family housing and forced us into a two-week stay in a dinky motel room. Needless to say, that did not serve to change our rather churlish opinions and in fact, left us feeling more disenchanted than before. We did not venture much from our little room at first,(partly from fear that the dogs would make a fuss and get us kicked out), but slowly and surely we began to make short excursions into the surrounding community. We found a tempting morsel of a combination bookstore and coffee cafe(more on that later), a shop dedicated to world culture, a restaurant that serves up the most transcendent smoked brisket in existance, and a sundry of other delightful establishments.
Notwithstanding, we still felt a bit like vagabonds, wanting only to have a shingle that we might call our own and were not entirely transformed in our moods and opinions. Finally, break-through! We were given keys and a welcome to our new residence. How eagerly and excitedly I packed our bags, and we bid the motel a not so fond farewell. With a bit of trepidation and a sense of childish giddy, we turned key in lock and opened the door to a new beginning. Astonishment and marvel at the perfection of our new abode. It was as if someone had reached into our heads and pulled forth almost exactly everything we have ever wanted in a home. We both felt quite meek and thankful, that even if only for the next 7 months, this be a stopping place for us. Each passing day continues to reveal how decidely narrow and inutile our prejudiced opinions were. Our move here has become an ardent reminder that in all things, you should go into the unknown with meekness and an open heart. Very humbling indeed!

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