A Grateful Return

Home again, home again, from a quick business trip to Princeton, which made Will just thrilled to be able to say "How's it going in a new state, Mom?" Oh, the things that enchant that child - globes, train travel, new states, and the ability to have Dad do walk in drop off. He is so easy to please, my sweet boy.

Trenton, on the other hand, seems a bit crankier, given their slogan - the bridge picture above is from Wikipedia, and makes me wish I had taken my camera along for the trip. The sign is so beautiful at night, all red against the darkness and reflected just nicely on the water. The slogan, on the other hand, makes me wonder if it's a nice advertisement for Trenton's manufacturing, or a bitter statement against urban flight.

But I'm home finally, and grateful for it - my children missed me, and my sweet husband was casually reminded that getting children to school is not an easy exercise. (He made the one catastrophic mistake of allowing breakfast before getting dressed - it all goes downhill from there.) Sleeping in a strange and noisy hotel makes me happy to have a cozy bed at home, surrounded by my familiar things and sounds of my family.

We are going through a bit of a gratitude exercise around here - the job situation is tenuous, and we're trying to figure out what's essential in our life, and what it would take to replicate it (or create a better one) somewhere else. Although I hate the circumstances, I like the fact that we're paring down and figuring out what's important to us. Family, access to good schools, and a place to call home - this is what we need. Extra entertainment, pricey gas, and long commutes - not so much. It's brought a nice attitude adjustment around here as we figure out where we can just be, instead of racing around and checking off lists. We need a slower life, we've decided, and it may require moving, which frankly scares the crap out of me.

But in the meantime, we'll try to think of things to be grateful for: the love of my children, the fact that we have options (although too many at this point), and the ability to find humor in the little things along the road.