I've Got A Home

The last shipment of my belongings came in on Friday, and now my apartment is beyond cluttered. But, I don’t mind.

In fact, I’m ecstatic to have all of my stuff with me in one place. That hasn’t happened in over five years. It has been a fun process to go through boxes filled with old keepsakes and reflect on cobwebbed memories. With each box, I’m reminded anew that God has definitely blessed me. It is refreshing and reassuring.

Of course, there are plenty of boxes filled with normal things too; kitchen supplies, clothes, all of my outdoor gear, etc. With the unpacking of all of this “stuff”, I realized today that I’m beginning to settle down. Finally.

In the past 11 months, I’ve lived out of three suitcases in seven different hotels in five different states. That’s pretty much the definition of a vagabond, I think. Being a vagabond is great, and I’ll probably want to do it again at some point in my life (perhaps I’ll have a beautiful wife to journey with next time). But, it is exhausting.

And, it has exhausted me.

So, I’m glad to unpack all of my boxes and have a cluttered apartment. It is a sign that my suitcases can stay in the closet for a little while (my backpack will suffice for the upcoming weekend adventures on the continent). Soon enough, I’ll be able to finally start cooking some real meals in my own kitchen. I’ll be able to invite new friends over for a good food and cold beer. For a retiring vagabond, that is a pretty exciting notion.

But, I’m going to have to put it all on hold for a few weeks. Ironically enough, I’m packing up again today and heading out to “the field” for some old fashioned Army training. I’ll most likely be out of touch for two weeks. It will be a critical time of integration into my work and will afford an opportunity to get to know my Soldiers. I am their new leader and my leading starts now.

And while I’m gone, my apartment will still be cluttered. But, when the training is done, I get to come home. My home sweet home.

(Ok, I also need to tell this story even though it doesn’t fit the context of my blog post:

Yesterday, I was driving 98mph on the autobahn. It was thrilling. It was my last full day with my rental car and I was curious to see what a Ford Fiesta could do when given a little gas. It definitely can get into the triple digits.

But, at one point, I was driving 98mph and out of no where, this Toyota minivan zoomed right passed me. The kids in the backseat where watching some animated movie. Perhaps Nemo or Toy Story, but the van’s excessive speed made it impossible to tell.

Regardless, I got passed by a minivan…when I was going 98mph. Germany is unique, and I think I like it. )