Why do you go away? For an adventure? For a change? To escape?

So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors.

It’s hard to believe we have already been “back” for six months!  Time’s winged chariot fools us once again. Honestly, the days and months have been whittled away easily, consumed by “modern American conveniences.” Even after six months, being back in the world of instant gratification feels new: the mesmerizing, devil-colored glow of a Target sign after 6:00pm, the empowerment of walking into a place of commerce on a Sunday, the joy of not having to wait 8 weeks for something to arrive from Amazon. If you don’t appreciate the aforementioned, or believe they are truly “American”, then find the courage to go away for a while.

Despite the reverse culture shock, it has been back to life as usual. Catching up with old friends, now six years the wiser. Spending evenings watching stupidifying TV instead of researching foreign lands. Filling the silence of deployment with a honeyed symphony of Jimmy Fallon and the cocktail shaker.

Over the last six months, I have waited to be hit with prolific lessons from our years abroad, clear evidence that I have changed and that everyone can see it…or at least some titillating content with which to fill my final blog post. Instead, the rearview mirror of my mind has made everything traumhaft. Faded are the outbursts of anger that were truly rooted in stress and fear. Funny are the moments that were once embarrassing and frustrating. Magnified are the special memories with our favorite people. I find this skill to be Father Time’s most endearing quality.

We have learned important lessons, but they are subtle ones. They show themselves in surprising ways at unexpected times. We are unbelievably happy to be here, but are also immensely grateful that we left.

Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.

So…here I say adieu, auf wiedersehen. Thank you to everyone who has kept up with our journeys. The Walls in Germany are closing this chapter, looking forward to the next. Macht’s gut!

Freiburg’s Blaue Brücke

Click here to revisit where it all started.

Inspirational credit: Terry Pratchett