08 August 2010

Adjustments and a Little Triumph

We've been in Chicago for two weeks now. This week was my first week of stay-at-home mama-hood. Not so easy, which comes as no surprise to me or anyone with experience in the field. When I get caught up in the new day-to-dayness of my life, it's easy to forget everything that has happened in the past couple months.

Sold our home.
Quit daycare.
Packed up or sold most of our belongings.
Left jobs.
Moved to "new" country.
Settled into new apartment.
Started new jobs.

Lots of people make this transition, but it's easy to forget how challenging it can be. The fact that I would forget is ironic since this is part of what I was teaching back in Amsterdam! We have to establish a new rhythm for our lives, from the smallest to the biggest things. What will we eat? Where will we buy groceries? Who will we meet? Where will we go? What will we do?

This is the part where I have to give myself space to learn, to be frustrated, to grow, to settle, and to be happy. And it will get better as we get to know the place, the space, the people, the possibilities. Already, the temperatures are down from searing hot to comfortable, so that's a plus one. It's tempting here to only share the good, the happy, the picturesque. But life isn't that way and I'm a bit of a grumbler by nature (many people not surprised at all to read that). Most importantly, this is also a chance to share and remember some of the little triumphs that add up to a new life in a new place.

Today's little triumph:
We found a breakfast spot just right for our family: Salonica. Salonica is a good old diner that is a four-block walk from our apartment. The interior probably hasn't changed in the 30 years since they opened, but it looks great to these diner-loving eyes. The service was prompt, the food decent, the prices reasonable, and all very kid-friendly, too. I had the french toast and my husband had an egg with sausage, hash browns, and toast. We were both satisfied with our meals. After breakfast we stopped at the playground on the way home and let Peanut have a romp in the sandbox while we chatted with each other and some local parents. We may have just created a Hyde Park Sunday breakfast ritual.

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