Looking at the photo above, it might not seem like anything too special. It’s not the most beautiful picture ever; those nightstands don’t belong in our room, the duvet is wrinkled, the sheets are mismatched and I’m still hunting down our pillow cases. But that’s not what matters at all. What matters is it’s home. This is our bed, the bed I haven’t slept in in over four months. Last night we slept here, and it was amazing.
The other day I started counting all of the places I’ve slept in these last four months. I lost count somewhere around 25. We’ve been taken in by countless friends (some extremely last minute, THANK YOU), racked up lots of hotel points, and become well acquainted with AirBnBs across the country. We evacuated from hurricane Irma, found a new OB, I got a job, have started to try and make new friends, and finally were able to close on our dream home.
I’m definitely still processing most of the last couple of months, but one big thing that’s sticking out in my mind is how much I’ve had to lean on other people. This is NOT something that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. In fact, it almost makes my skin crawl thinking of how many people I’ve had to ask for help. Moving is tough as it is, but moving cross country, pregnant, over the span of multiple months is an entirely different animal.
I’m not exactly sure why it’s so hard for me to ask for and accept help from others. Especially because I LOVE being able to jump in when someone else needs it. When I sit down and think about it, I know many other people feel exactly the same way. So, I want to say thank you to my “village”. You may be spread out from corner to corner of this country, but I am so thankful for each of you exactly where you are. You have so graciously volunteered your support. Even if sometimes “volunteering” means straight up forced it upon me (unfortunately I can be a little stubborn at times!) That is what I needed, and we would not have made it through the past few months without it.
I’m sure we aren’t out of the woods yet in needing assistance from friends and family around us. Thankfully though, I’m starting to be ok with it. And I know each day we are getting a little closer to being able to open up our home and support those around us as well.
For now, if you need me, you can find me under the pile of boxes in our kitchen!
