Wander Susan Wonder

At the end of this month, I will have been back in the States for a year. That is crazy to me. There are days when if feels like I got back yesterday and there are days if feels like I’ve been back for 10 years. This year was nothing that I pictured. If you would have asked me a couple years ago what my life would look like I would have gone into this long description of walking along the South Bank in London and not being able to believe my life had led me to one of the best cities in the world.

I am not walking along the South Bank in London. I am sitting in a coffee shop in Richmond, Virginia. The view along the South Bank is hands down better, but this coffee shop is fun and the weather hit 70 degrees on my day off and it is making me all kinds of happy. This first winter back in the States has seemingly lasted years (not because it was such a severe winter, but because I’m pretty much a wimp), so when the skin just behind my sunglasses lenses started to sweat from the heat today…it just made me smile.

My life has been characterized by big transitions for a while now, and if I’m honest….I kinda love it that way. The thought of staying in one place forever has always made me feel a little itchy. That doesn’t mean I always handle the transition perfectly. In my experiences, the biggest transitions in my life happen because something else doesn’t work out…and that can be really hard.  I have learned a few things along the way, not because I’m super wise or a great human, but because eventually I get it after being put in the same situation over and over again. Here are the biggest lessons:

1. Live like you’re never leaving. It never fails. Whenever I start out in a new place, I think, “Why put the effort in of trying to get to know people? I don’t even know how long I’ll be here.” That kind of thinking can get lonely really quickly. We all need people and that means putting yourself out there and digging deep. It’s definitely going to make leaving harder if another transition ever comes up….but the “meantime” is going to be way more meaningful…and fun!

2. It’s all going to be ok. Yall, I usually hate it when people say that…but it’s true. Richmond has become this magical place where friends from all over have to come through very often….and you know where they stay? That’s right, my apartment. This has been a very sweet year of seeing friends from all over the world…more than I usually would. I like this city and the people in it way more than I thought I would. They do not have lovely British accents, but if everyone did…it wouldn’t be as special I guess.

3. Right now does not mean forever. There is no reason for me to be freaking out about how long I may stay in RVA. The important thing is to be faithful where I am for today. If my life continues like if has for the past few years (and I pray it does), there is no telling where I will end up, the friends I will call my own, or the places I will get to see along the way. I am super excited about all those possibilities. Here we go!