This is the water tower that is near my new apartment. At night, it is illuminated by multicolored lights. I've been calling it "my UFO." The lights are for Christmas, I suppose. I have not lived in the area long enough to know if the lights are always there, but it's been nice to have it as a point of reference in the Fayetteville night sky while I'm trying to find my way back home.
Home. What has struck me in the last few weeks is how quickly the definition of that word can change.
When last we spoke, I talked about my impending move. I (obviously) accepted that job in North Carolina, and my silence since then has been due to the move, and the waiting on internet, and the driving around to holiday parties, and the spending of lots of quality time with my lady.
But part of that silence has also been because I needed time to adapt. I needed to see how I would translate into a new place. I'm happy to report that the translation of Shane has gone pretty well.
I've realized in looking back through the blog recently that Virtual Napkins has been a bit heavy for much of the past few months, so I thought I would lighten things up a bit...in the spirit of jollyhood or whatever.
After I got settled in to my new spot, I headed up to Raleigh to PNC Arena (home of THE NC State Wolfpack basketball team). I got to see my lady graduate with her Ph.D., which means that she got to wear the fuzzy hat and wizard robe. I'm absolutely proud of her, and she never ceases to amaze me with what she is able to accomplish. She has a downright sexy tenacity about her. I won't go on too much here about her. I assume you've all had too many sweets this week already--what with the chocolate-covered everythings and plain candy canes--but you should know that she is awesome. I hope she rubs off on me just a little bit.
Soon after, we gathered around a tiny fake tree made of colored globes and spent our first Christmas together. We watched a lot of episodes of The Office, and we laughed at funny videos of animals. We found a super cool coffee shop that I will be spending tons of time in while writing and drinking coffee. We found a sports bar where I will watch the Dolphins lose a lot of games over the next couple of years. And we found a big used book, movie, music, and video game store with a ton of hidden treasures. Fayetteville has quickly become my new home.
These few weeks have shown me that the meaning of the word "home" evolves in many ways during a lifetime. The place may change, the people will come and go, but we are all making our way toward an ideal of home that will sustain us for years and maybe, with any luck, the rest of life.
And I'm getting closer.