Not bad, just different

Halloween decorations amidst the community we live in now was the first clue that holiday seasons would be very different in southwest Florida.  The pumpkin/witch/ghost decorations were typical but mixed with 80-90 degree temperatures wasn’t so typical.  Not bad, just different.

Next up:  Thanksgiving.  Fewer decorations, as most skipped right to Christmas decorations.  Not bad or different; as most people seem to start decorating for Christmas soon after Halloween.

We noticed our neighbors have already put up their Christmas tree.  Several homes have decorated with angels or lighting or Santa hats.  All the while, the fresh scent of recently spread bark mulch permeates the air.  And the grass continues to be mowed.  And we continue to apply sunscreen.  Not bad, just different.  REALLY different.

Over the last three years, we’ve embraced different.  Sometimes different feels hard, but it’s really just adjusting to where we came from.  We’re getting a lot better at recognizing that change is hard (even if it’s exciting change) and that our attitudes define whether the difference is good or bad.  We're choosing good.

There’s a lot of good we’ve experienced in this latest chapter of southwest Florida living.  There’s also a lot of missing of old friends and old running routes.  Grateful as hell that we’ve had lots of family and friends who have or will visit us in the coming months.  We give them a sunshine fix; they give us a ‘back home’ fix.  And those we haven’t seen yet, we’re lucky to live in this age of technology to stay connected until we do get to see each other again live.

Not bad, just different.  Not bad at all...