An Gentle Re-Entry

In the past, re-entries have been really difficult for me. But the past 24 hours, coming home after coordinating a week of adoption camp, has felt lovely. It's not hard to figure out why. Normally, I am re-entering home after being pampered, well taken care of and given lots and lots of quiet. I come home and everything feels like overstimulation; almost like an assault. It takes me a long while to re-adjust to being with my family. They feel like a huge, noisy crowd.

But this time, I was coming home after taking care of over 140 people, of sleeping in a bunk bed in a rustic cabin, and of generally running around like a maniac for a week, and preparing 24/7 for a month before that. This time, when I came home, my family felt very small and quiet. When I first arrived, it was only my mom and the dogs (J was in the shower). Then I got a nice welcoming hug from him, and a chance to de-brief about my week. Younger daughter was at a friend's house, and older daughter is in Hawaii. After I showered and took a much! needed nap, I drove our new car! (J's cousin just sold us their 2001 Prius) over to retrieve her.

Everything happened in stages. I put my pajamas on early, we had a really easy meal of burgers, and we watched Fellowship of the Ring, which is one of my daughter's and my all time favorite movies. (after being at transracial adoption camp, though, I did really wish that the Fellowship wasn't all white, and the evil Orcs don't all look black and dreadlocked) I did once write an essay about how, in a very convoluted way, Lord of the Rings reminds me a lot of my own adoption story) - maybe I'll post it here sometime.

Anyway, it was a really soft and gentle way to re-enter back into family. And it doesn't hurt to know that the next few months will be a lot more low-key in terms of work. Maybe I will get some writing done. Maybe I will have some time to start the collage art I've been itching to try. I feel like a season has just ended and I am ready for the next one.

More about camp later....