So, we’ve been back in Iowa for a few weeks now. Everything is the same as it ever was, and completely different all at the same time. Some days it’s comforting to be back around family. Some days, I wish for the comfort of the new family that I had formed over the last four years.
It’s still cold, dank, and slow in Iowa. I know, that sounds awful. But, when you’re comparing this place to the coastal towns of North Carolina, the competition is tough. There are no sparkling beaches. No fresh off the boat seafood. Heck, there’s not even traffic!
I miss my best girlfriends. I miss the people that I used to volunteer with on base at Camp Lejeune. I miss the support of everyone that understood my situation, when I was awake at 0200 staring at the empty space on the other side of the bed.
I formed friendships and alliances that I will never forget and will fight my hardest not to lose.
There are somethings the Southeastern US doesn’t have, though. It doesn’t have my parents and siblings. It doesn’t have the Buddhist Temple that my parents helped build. It doesn’t have my in laws. And most importantly, it doesn’t have the daughter that I’ve been missing like crazy.
If I could take all the slow-cooked comfort of our family and transport it to the warmth and hospitality of the South, I would be in Heaven.
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