Beautiful Feet in America

So one of my friends posted the other day that she'd been doing such a bad job at blogging lately, she was thinking of retiring. Funny right!! I myself, since returning to the states, have had a hard time finding opportunities and/or time to blog. But, I'm determined that I'm going to keep blogging and determined to find stories. After all I love to write and lets be honest its kind of like therapy for me :).

Coming back to America has been in some ways more of a struggle than I expected, other ways its been less. I think the culture itself, the food, and so on wasn't as difficult to readjust to as I had built up in my mind. The little things, however, have become the big things. One such issue really doesn't have any thing with Asia vs. America, its more with Whitney vs. Whitney. Let me explain. For over two years, well around 5 or 6 really, I've had my own space so to speak. My own plans, my thoughts, my time alone, etc. Now, I'm going to be really honest with everyone and tell you that some of this is quite selfish, but it is what it is. So now I've been thrown into this life, where I don't get to plan ANYTHING! And, the smallest things get me all tore up. Talk about coming out a control freak, you've found me.

So the other night, mom and dad where supposed to be "out" for the evening and I had big plans. Not that I don't love my family, but after being used to down time (I'm more of an introvert than I thought) I was craving some alone time. I quickly decided in my mind, I'd order a good ol' American-so not good for you-pizza, watch a movie, sit in the floor and finish wrapping Christmas presents (therapy for me) and start a fire. Now, to be clear I wasn't going to just start a fire anywhere, we have a fireplace. I envisioned having hours upon hours of selfish me time and not having a care in the world.

So with presents scattered in the floor from earlier in the day, I decided to take a break and order pizza online. Next step was to zip in my car to the pizza place, the deal online was carryout only. I'd pick up a movie and then zip back to the house and relax. Upon arriving at the pizza place, I told them my name and that it was carryout. I immediately new something was wrong when the young guy running the cash registered said, "Just a second mam'." and then went to whisper to his manager. Now whether the pizza place got the order and just didn't make it or they never got the order at all or what I don't know. Long story short, the pizza had not been cooked. So I kept my patience and told the manager I had another errand to run and I'd come back...no worries. So from there I headed to the DVD store, but the DVD I wanted they were out of, oh well, I'll pick something else from the on-demand on the tv at home. I returned to the pizza place to pick up my order and then headed home.

Now, for the fire in the fireplace, the movie and pizza. I found the movie on TV I liked, rented it, and then went out to the garage to get the "fire log." Before the fam had left for dinner they explained that the wood out back was probably really wet and wouldn't burn but they did have some instant "fire logs," that would do the trick. So I found the fire long, read the instructions, only one at a time it said and lit the baby up, pushed the flue handle up so smoke wouldn't fill up the house. Oh, this was going to be great.

Pizza -check, p.j.s - check, movie - check, fire, kind of puny, but -check. I needed to reheat my pizza because it had gotten a little cold and when I did and walked back into the other room, I noticed my puny one log fire had smoked up the whole room. Rats! Maybe I didn't do the flue right. After a few minutes and one very nervous brother telling me I didn't do the flue right. I figured it out and my brother went to open up some of the doors in the house to help air it out. Pizza getting cold, again, house getting cold.

As I'm finally watching the movie and eating I began to hear the pitter patter of paws. My brother had left one of the back doors open and the dog smelling all the smoke I guess decided to come in and check it out. When he got to the room I was in, he wouldn't leave but rather set down and began to whine, it was if he was saying, "hey woman do you know there is a fire in here?" It was actually pretty funny so I got up and escorted him back outside. As I turned around, I saw muddy paw prints everywhere! Seriously?!!???!! So I spent 15 or so minutes cleaning up the floor and the returned to the cold pizza and movie.

I honestly didn't sit there for more than 10 minutes when the rest of the family arrived home. So much for my quiet, peaceful, relaxing night home. Then I began to think about my life just 2 months ago. This part makes me laugh. There are no pizza places I could call for take out on a whim, no video store to rent movies from, and furthermore no "on-demand" tv to rent movies off of. I'm not sure if its cold, cold yet where I lived before but there wouldn't have been central heat, definitely not a fireplace and the muddy dog to save my life from the non-existent fire....well, that's questionable. But we do have a word for the troubles of the night, Mafan!

So in some ways I had to laugh and be truly thankful for all the conveniences and fun stuff that I have at my finger tips now, but in all honesty, do I really want those things when they are turn into that much trouble. I know its negative, but a huge part of me spends the moments like that night wishing I was back in Asia, skipping the pizza, and just watching another DVD episode of "Chuck."

End of Story - Beautiful Feet