marathon visit

i'm home. and yes, driving in, there was an initial self-scare realization that i just booked a visit for over a week! a week of vacation? why didn't i actually travel somewhere? somewhere i'd never been, that was warm and sunny and i could practice Spanish?

the shoulds evaporated as soon as i walked in my parent's front door. i love being here. this is my tribe.

before coming to Buffalo, i spent a few days with my upstairs housemate's family a half-hour outside of Syracuse. the effects of family were all over her, too. while normally she is a sassy, social, self-assured woman, all those traits get meshed with the usual stresses that come with fending for yourself in the city. surrounded by her family, the stress sloughed off, and she was just the sassy, social, self-assured woman. 

i feel that way here, too. gone is the anxious, bad sleeping, Corrie. in Buffalo, i'm just a well-loved big sister, best friend, daughter, niece, and cousin. so why not move back? because i also like being the best friend, lots of friends, kid sister, blogger, on-again off-again, always stumbling and getting back up girl that lives in Brooklyn.

that's life, right? it's all about balance. so 8 days home? thank goodness. i can get even again. even though with all the running around while i'm here i feel a lot like this: