Back to Blogging: For real?

The same thing happens every single time I move to a new place.  For about one month, I am more or less out of sorts. I have difficulty finding a good routine because of my new surroundings and new schedule and little things fall by the wayside.  My emails pile up (I think I have over 50 in my Next Action Folder (ones I have to reply to)…usually I try to keep it to 20 tops).  Blog posts become scarce.  Life is just a bit scattered.

Then things begin to settle down and I realize how frustrated I am with the lack of routine.  In my frustration, I write down my essentials.  And one of the first things I do is start blogging about how important a good routine is! So here I am again.  I suppose you could say that this process has become something of my routine.  I just wish I could learn to adjust a bit quicker!

Yet at the same time, after picking up and moving to Italy for, Lord willing, the next 9 months, I have realized why finding a good routine is such a struggle.  Indeed, I have seen more clearly than ever why this process of playing overseas is often so difficult.  I spend three months at home (if I am a lucky one).  By the time I leave, I have found a good rhythm  And then I pick up and move to a new place where you have to more or less set up an entirely new life.

Where’s the grocery store?  Where can we find the best bread?  What bank do I need to get set up with and who can take me down there?  Where can my kids find friends and activities?  Where’s the best place to eat?  The list goes on and on.  Sure, they are all little things, but they are little things that I take for granted while at home.  Indeed, they are what most of us take for granted.  We just have all these little, normal life things set and don’t realize what comfort we derive from it.  Or, if we don’t have them set, and move to a new place, the new place often is in the same country, so there is a certain degree of familiarity.  We can usually find one of our favorite restaurants in the area.  And most importantly, we don’t need someone to take us everywhere, because we actually speak the language.  Not so here, at least for me.

In saying all this, I am by no means complaining.  I learn a great deal through the process.  And I see that it is wise to sometimes sit back and look at your life from the outside in order to understand why things might not be so easy. It helps you to relax a bit, believe it or not, and, at least for me, enjoy the journey.  And maybe, just maybe, it will help me to blog consistently once again!