Two plus one

Yesterday I celebrated my two-month anniversary of life in California with:

– Good music as I drove to work, including a re-listen to “All I Need,” which was playing as I drove into the state;

– A chocolate-chip cookie and a mocha from my favorite local bakery;

– The solemnity of a CPR re-certification;

– Skipping with a young child who trusts me, even though she can’t always remember my name;

– Intelligent, impassioned conversation with colleagues;

– A bike ride in the sunshine for the sheer fun of it;

– Stopping by the library to pick up books I’d put on hold and which I quickly and gleefully strapped to the back of my bike;

– A stroll through the farmer’s market;

– Dinner with friends;

– My favorite champagne from a local vineyard;

– A long soak in a hot tub, under the Milky Way, with the sounds of the ocean enveloping the moment.

I’m stunned to realize the connections I am feeling to this place already, though I’ve been missing my family and friends back home very much lately. I feel so welcomed into this community, but I know I’m an outsider still, and will be for a while. Overcoming that takes time, I know; I look forward to the days when I’m not asking questions about who is connected with whom, and when I don’t have to explain my own history.

Luckily, I get to experience some of the ease of long-standing and good friendship this weekend, when a dear friend comes into town. She’s an amazing woman, and we’re spending the weekend in San Francisco together. I’m excited to stroll through Chinatown, to hit the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, to imbibe beautiful and expensive drinks. But most of all, I’m excited to have time with my friend, who I trust and with whom I laugh easily, without explanation.

Two months and a day into this adventure, so many things amaze me. I wonder what the next two months will bring…