Tomorrow is October and its still 107

I know I might sound like a broken record, but daily JVC reminds me of how grateful I am for things in my life. As much as I may whine, cry and complain about things I miss about life pre-Phoenix, it also makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside as I realize that I am happy that I have things to miss.

As October begins and I think about Fall on the East Coast. I remeber certain sights and smells, that are not available to me in Phoenix. There are no leaves changing color, no smells of crackling bonfires, and certainly no fall fests with my besties. Here I am longing for the things that I would have complained about before. Why is it cold already? Snow? Tomorrow? Really? It's October 7th! You must be kidding me!

Now fall is resonating some sense of longing for cuddling outside in a hoodie, or jumping in a huge pile of leaves,looking up at the sky and seeing "those clouds", you know the ones that tell you it is going to be cold and snow, not rain, Even having to plan a Holloween costume around the idea that it could potentionally be below freezing as soon as the sun goes down, which becuase of day-light savings is about 5pm.

But all this that I have just mentioned results in some sort of strange satifaction. Yes, I miss home, but I have fond memories and a home to miss, and I know that as much as I miss home, my home misses me equally as much.

When I started JVC, I didn't really get the whole "ruined for life" thing. I wasn't sure how exactly that would happen, or even if it would actually happen. When I left Chicago, I was equally confused. I knew that I had changed, but I couldn't pinpoint it in anyway. But over the past couple of weeks in Phoenix I'm starting to realize a little bit about what this JVC thing might be all about. It has helped me change the way I look at my life, I can't accept things with out thinking about them and questioning the heck out of it (Thanks Mateo, I never though I would say this, but I miss your insane questions and discussions), I can't help but be grateful for my blessings, and i've also grown quite fond of Ignation spirituality, which definately had helped me to be more intune with God.

Having Jake here this weekend was awesome, we had fun, chatted alot, and were able to reminsce a lot about old times. Just as being away from home has helped me realize things, so has being away from Chi-town. It's no secret that at times living with my community in Chicago was a challenging expereince and towards the end I was definately ready to peace out. Talking to Jake really helped to sort out a lot of stuff and I wouldn't change that expereince now for the world. I didn't realize how much each and everyone of them impacted my life until I nearly two months after the fact. I didn't realize what my work had done for my passion for living life each moment and not get bogged down by little things.

Now as I'm approaching the two month mark in Phoenix, I can't help but get excited about this experience. My job, my housemates, my city.....I have so much to learn from each person that I interact with. I know that this year is not going to be easy. It's gonna be hard work, but through each challenge there is an experience that will add to the "ruining" that has already taken effect.

So am I glad to miss home, Chi-town, the People I love, and the Challenge of Community Life?

You Betcha!!!!!!!!