being home

My friend wrote this about her little girl who is 3 or 4.

Tonight at bed, Ella was asking me, "Why are they called the idiots?" I couldn't imagine what she was talking about until she said, "You know, Steve and Marilyn." ....Ahhhhh! THE ELLIOTTS!... This whole time she thought we were calling you THE IDIOTS. I'm still laughing.
_______________
Well, the idiots are HOME! Vincent kept the house in good shape and Walter has not stopped sitting on top of me in every possible moment, even in the most impossible contortions. I am back at my desk and loving being here. But most of all I have been welcomed back by friends and colleagues.

I realize in a full sense that the transition moments of our lives NEED to be noticed and marked. It is important to be welcomed back. How sad to return to a life that didn't want you. I am grateful for every smile, every warm welcome and all the people that welcome my presence into their world. Thankyou.

Going away is also healthy. Sometimes we need space from our small world to push the 'reset' button and get our perspective back. We need to laugh and problem solve somewhere else... in a place that has new problems. We need to smell new smells and look at new scenery and remember what a big and magical world this is.

And then we need to come home and eat beans. Our first meal home was beans - with weiners chopped into them of course. And toast. Hot buttered toast. A good plain meal with the old scrabble game open between us. And of course, Walter sitting on top of me. Quite a ways from the Champs d'Elyses but fabulous, none the less.