A Long Time

This snap is from the day we got our new dog. This is the first meeting between dog and munchkins. We waited for what felt like a long time for a dog.

Well...the longest we've lived anywhere since our university days is four years. By the end of this spring, we will have been here for four years. And we know we're looking at a minimum of two more. Wow...

Things have been beyond busy lately. The husband has been traveling (India and another Mid-East country), and I've been looking for bigger accomdation for our family. Our flat is lovely, but we're really wanting some more space. I think we've found a place to move in to, but it's not gonna be 'real' to me until we've signed papers and the keys are in hand. So, we'll see.

Because of the volunteering/helping out I do, I'm going to be heading out of the country for a few days to attend meetings. I'm really excited that I get to go again this year.

The husband's parents are due in for a visit this week. They'll be here for about two weeks, but I'll be out of country for about a week of that. We're hoping for a day or two of off-roading while they are here.

I look around me and even though the surface of the place is shiny and pretty, there is so much poverty and suffering that one sees. For those who have money, things are totally fabulous. For those who don't have money, who don't have the 'right' country-of-issue passport, life can be miserable. For many here, the equivalent of $50 U.S./Canadian a month pay increase is a significant amount of money.

I encounter what I call the 'push-shove' mentality. You see it everywhere in so many countries/places. Push-shove your way ahead in the check out at the market, push-shove in traffic, push-shove getting munchkins to and from school. Push-shove, push-shove, push-shove. It's constant. What's sad is that many days I don't even notice it anymore AND I have to push-shove sometimes to simply get home in a timely manner from running errands. It's like so much of the world runs on a me-first mentality. If folks would just calm down and work together, we'd all get there faster and safer. Sigh...

In the mean time, I really hope we get the larger accomodation I found. I will not cry if I have a private garden where I can sit and look at plants and listen to birds and totally forget that the push-shove exists.

Peace.