We walked through our own door around four o’clock on Wednesday afternoon. After such a long day (or two, really) of travel, we were beyond exhausted. But in an effort to get back on Florida time, we forced ourselves to stay up till eight. We went to the bank, started unpacking, ordered a pizza, and finally let ourselves drift into dreamland. At five a.m., we were wide awake.
Ok, so it will take a few days for us to get back on schedule; at least I don’t have any obligations for another week and a half or so when I head to Illinois to see my family and throw a baby shower for my sister. I can lie on the couch and watch movies or read books while I ease myself back into my normal life.
But poor Brandon went back to work today. He had only Thursday to recover before starting a three-day shift, and I know he’s not feeling too happy about being back at work. At least it’s not so hard getting up at five in the morning, though, as it will probably feel like three in the afternoon to him for quite some time.
And while Brandon slaves away at work, I had to cancel my coffee date with my friend Katie earlier this afternoon. I felt absolutely fine all day yesterday, but as I was going to bed, I started experiencing stomach cramps almost as bad as those I’d had in Goa. So it looks like I’m pretty much knocked out on the couch for the next few days, except when I’m up like lightning to get to the bathroom. Coming back from a trip like this sure is difficult.
In a rare moment of calm and comfort earlier today, I was thinking about how hard our bodies are working to get India out of their systems. And I had to wonder if that’s simply because our hearts are having such a hard time letting go. Yes, I was thrilled to walk through my front door on Wednesday afternoon. I have enjoyed sleeping in an air-conditioned house on a pillow-top mattress for the past two nights. And I know that Brandon, although he had to go back to work, is glad to be back in the comfort of his reality. But we miss India already – the sights, the sounds, even the smells. Our bodies will eventually get whatever this is out of their systems (and the sooner, the better), but our hearts will hold onto India forever.
It’s kind of saddening to know that, after all of the planning and preparation, the trip has come and gone. But the good news is, it will live in our memories forever.
Brandon and I have now been married for over a year. This blog is drawing to its end, as I realize that I am several days past the point of documenting just my first year of marriage. But what better time to close than now? We have just punctuated the last moments of our first year of marriage with a multitude of exclamation points And, as we come back to a reality that is perhaps not so exhilarating, I am slightly dismayed that all of the excitement and joy of this year – beginning with our beautiful wedding and ending with our incredible trip – is over. But as we begin our second year of marriage, I delight in the fact that, surely, in the many years that Brandon and I still have to spend together, there is so much to look forward to. So many exclamation points to come!
I don’t know what they will be or where or when they will happen, and I certainly don’t want to rush them. Time must take its course, for better (being in India) or worse (being sick on the couch after returning from India).
Brandon and I are no longer newlyweds, but, as our days together pass into years, we are ever more in love. Our first year of marriage was an incredible one, and I have no reason to believe that the second, third, tenth, twentieth, and fiftieth will be any different.
Thank you for joining us on this small portion of our journey. And now we must continue down our path, walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand, writing our love story moment-by-moment.
