A Thousand Words?

At first I didn’t think much of the photo above as I was swiping through my phone. It’s just one of hundreds I take every week of the grandkids. The more I thought about it, though, the more I realized how it speaks volumes, maybe even 1000 words.

There’s a tension in this photo that represents a tension in my life. On Home Exchange, I describe my home as a peaceful cultural oasis. In the photo I see many elements of this world I’ve tried to create and constantly long for. My home is almost a sacred space for me where I am perfectly content to be. For that, I am extremely grateful.

Even my plumber, on one of his many recent visits to my house, remarked on the photos, artwork, and atmosphere of my home.

But then there’s the blur of grandkids in the photo, dancing to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” (there’s a video, but I will spare them the embarrassment). When they visit (up to five times a week now!), my home is anything but peaceful. My artifacts from around the world are subject to being manipulated by their often sticky fingers, and sometimes they become toys in new games the kids invent, or worse, projectiles in a moment of frustration.

Marker ink spills onto my furniture, apple juice sticks to the floor, and there is never a silent moment when the grandkids are present, as I’m sure my very kind neighbor can attest to. The basement playroom becomes a sea of cardboard box houses and other structures since this seems to be their favorite thing to do lately. I’m exhausted when they leave and, despite my best efforts to get them to clean up, it never does get done. And yes, I know how lucky I am to have these problems!

The tension I feel is that I long for all of these seemingly contradictory things – a peaceful, calm, and orderly home; months of travel to embed myself in the unpredictable life of other cultures; and the chaos and joy and messiness that comes with being around the kids.

I don’t ever expect to find the perfect balance between these things, but that’s okay. What I do know is that too much of a good thing is never good. I’m lucky to have the challenge to balance time with grandkids, travels across the world, and the rejuvenating feeling of just chilling in my peaceful and clean oasis.

I’m also grateful to have such a big yard . . .

and a playground across the street . . .

and a skate park just down the road.

Local Travel

Recent train travel to New York City and Montreal has been part of that balance. The trip to NYC, another great Home Exchange, was unique in that I was able to show the City to a seven-year-old who had never before experienced anything like it. It turns out he was an excellent travel companion and neither one of us minded the extra day we had due to fires on the train tracks which canceled all trains just before we were about to leave.

Meeting two former students on the way to New York turned into a two-hour Uno game, and lots of fun!

Besides the Statue of Liberty, we went ice skating and swimming, biked on Governor’s Island, frequented many cool playgrounds, explored the Museum of Natural History, rode many subways, and walked everywhere.

The eleven-hour train to Montreal on Thanksgiving gave me time to write this post, among other things. Looking forward to a long weekend with my sister and brother-in-law, at yet another Home Exchange, before returning to the joyful chaos.