Gratitude for Consistency

So yesterday I left a comment on another blog about how sometimes we just have to get away to clear our minds and still our souls.....yet the more I thought about it, I also realized how much the consistency of routine and individuals can serve a similar purpose.....

I'm just going to put it out there, the last year definitely wasn't an easy one. I love my husband unconditionally but it was an adjustment learning how to be married, how to live with someone new, and in reality getting to know the man I had married. It was challenging relocating to someplace so incredibly different, where my values and morals are at times hard to express and act on--nothing I haven't done before, but also more difficult this time because I'm in my native country. Moving here was socially, mentally, and emotionally uncomfortable--without educational community groups, no employment for six months, with friendly but young potential friends without much in common, and without the presence of my dearest friends and family.

So I'm not going to lie, last August I did take off on a road trip to visit old friends from high school and to get away from here long enough to clear my mind and still my heart. I also made myself and sometimes the husband too get in the car some weekends for a day trip to see something new and different. After years of being surrounded by family and friends, I'm used to spending a great restorative weekend at Granny's, an afternoon on the beach, or heading out to a friends house for a change of scenery and a glass of wine. Being here, I take what I can get and sometimes day trips or a larger road trip are what are needed!

However, as much as those occasional outlets have been great, what has really pushed me through the rough patches are many of the incredible individuals in my life--no matter how distant they may be from me. So I want to express gratitude to and for those who have gotten me through a difficult transition to here...sometimes the consistency of the little things really do create the greatest impact.

My granny, who sends a weekly letter to me and who I used to visit on a regular basis, expects a regular phone call from me. I'm not a huge phone person but Granny also deserves to hear from me, so regardless of whether I've wanted to talk, I have called her once a week or every other week. Each call we report on the previous weeks experiences. Simple enough....but even in the roughest spots, the consistency of calling helped keep my head on straight. Granny laughed with me, heard my sadness and frustrations, and reminded me of the fundamental values of our family.

I have been blessed with extraordinary females who have consistently been present in my life over the last year. Two of these gals are friends of mine from different college programs and who have already been rocks for me in previous settings. This year they shone. They both consistently sent me texts or online messages almost weekly and have never failed to allow me a few moments of phone time when needed. One even requests that I actually talk to her on the phone on a regular basis! Two others are my cousins who have become dear friends in their own right--who never fail to send questions and thoughts...and some cards in the mail too! I am forever cognizant that people play key roles at different times, yet will forever appreciate these gals who have helped me along without my needing to ask or say too much. I only hope that I can be half the friend that they have been to me...

At the risk of sounding like a country song, I'm thankful for the consistency of my dogs. While the initial transition to being a dog owner was not exactly pleasant, the best thing the hub did for me in those first months was to adopt a dog.  Something that needed me to establish a routine: to get up to let it out, to feed and love, and to walk outside on a regular basis. With the hub having the car all day and everything being quite a distance, Anna was my first steady companion for about six months. Our routine together kept me sane, healthy, and able to express emotion. She and another furry companion helped two of us dog owners meet---the other owner being my first actual friend around here.

I'm also grateful for online visitors. As weird as it might sound to some, at times having consistent online communication brightened my day and made me feel a sense of social support in its own right. So I have to give a shout-out to Kathie over at Two Frog Home. She has been a constant visitor as time allows (she has lots of great blog friends), sent a package, and emailed me some wonderful insight at a time when she sensed that I could need it. I will forever be in awe of such a fabulous woman.

I am grateful for so many individuals and really can't name them all here, but these consistent moments kept me grounded throughout some difficult transitional months. For the constancy of those individuals, I am forever appreciative and grateful.....their continuous presence has been the most amazing gift to me. While new explorations have been fun short-term fixes, I know that my best long-term support has come from continuity of moments and individuals. To ALL those that blessed my days during last year, I offer a big thank you!! The smallest acts truly can account for so much!