Losing Weight

Despite the almost daily negativity we face from friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and supervisors (yes, that work for the very company we're supposedly doing a great favor by moving) regarding our decision to move to Maryland, we remain excited about the change, joyful about the fresh start, intrigued  by the newness and differentness of the area, ready for the upcoming challenge.

You see, it's been a somewhat shitty year around here.  Economically, we remain insulated from the recession and hardships that are affecting so many of our fellow Americans - and for that we are humbly grateful.  But we've suffered from lots of illness, especially early in the year; we've struggled unsuccessfully to grow our family, experiencing a heartbreaking miscarriage in the process and, more recently, we've been subject to some rather extensive, unexpected home repairs to a house we once loved but now feel slightly betrayed by.

When the weight of the year - and the summer heat - became oppressive in August, we began searching for something that would shake us out of our doldrums.  The move to Maryland finally became that spark we needed to feel re-engaged with life.

So it's been discouraging and disappointing to be confronted with so much negativity from loved ones around us.  We know we are leaving a LOT of good things behind - a neighborhood with neighbors that we don't expect to ever surpass or even match, a variety of playmates for Gideon - some that we've known since the babies were still in their mamas' bellies, grandparents a day trip away, adequate "big-city" amenities in a relatively small city package, reasonable cost of living, wide open spaces, expansive blue sky.  We know we've "got it good" and have built a community that will be hard to match.

It wasn't an easy decision to make, yet we still felt compelled to give all this up.  That means something - it means we need to go, even if we don't exactly realize why yet.  So now we want those we care about us to be happy for us, to be excited for the adventure that awaits.  To realize that perhaps we're just a little bit nomadic.   That we enjoy change and challenge, instead of fearing it.  That we see this as a chance to expand our community - one that already reaches around the globe - instead of abandoning one for another.

We're touched to realize - if somewhat belatedly, in some instances - what an impact we've had here.  We realize that what the naysayers are really trying to say is that we will be missed, but really all we feel right now is just the weight of their disapproval and disappointment.  More weight to bear in an already hefty year.  More weight just bringing us down.