So it's been almost 2 weeks since I returned home to my childhood home something I do each summer for July and August. This year a very different situation given I've gone full time and this homecoming was the final step.
It's been an interesting 2 weeks. My dad is do ok for someone at 83 is set in his way, pig headed at times, and small town orientated. I've been going about my business around him with no overt negativity and hope by the end of the summer he might be able to call me by name - which will be a huge step.
As for emergence I took the total immersion approach...no point going slow or warming the place up... Max exposure over a short period of time and get on with it.
Formal ladies night at the yacht (lbd night)...a good chance to reset with the parents of the kids my son has sailed with in the summers and I have assisted with sailing programs and junior racing. 1st of a number of plays at our local theater... Upside got to sit next to Myles Goodwin of April Wine for those Canadians following. Here it was a chance to be visible with the broader community. Coming and going at the local market and coffee shop. Tonight it's an impromptu high school reunion.
Acceptance and better said folks just moving on a going with the program has been a bit of a surprise given this is a small sleepy little town. The biggest thing for me in all this is how at home I feel in the end. As a women I've been embraced locally as a women into the community. As a male I was a man interacting with mostly the female population but still a man. These past 2 weeks have seen me as a bit of a social butterfly something I've never felt comfortable with ever. The local ladies have just accepted me into their domain as me in ways thy never did in the past.
So I can say I'm home. More home then I've ever felt in my life and it sure feels good.
Cheers... Jennifer
