Far from home

The sights and smells and sounds are overwhelming. I expected it. This is what I came for. This is my time to kick back, to have fun, to let loose, to enjoy, to live, to experience.

I write this from my hotel room when I should be sleeping. It was a long exhausting day and it is over. I am so tired.

They are sleeping. I always feel a little different than the rest. A little over-protective. Maybe they wouldn't like that, if they knew. But of course they know.

So I take charge, and I laugh with the people I am supposed to laugh with, and befriend the people you need to make nice with, and of course, I refuse to ask directions or help from anyone. That is how I am. It is dumb to ask for directions when you can figure it out yourself. It may take longer, but your pride will be intact.

So I let them ask. And I stand to the side and pretend not to listen and pretend not to care what the answer is. And I gave in today and asked for help, after a frustrating start to the day and many wrong turns and much money wasted on tolls and gas and taking out my frustration on my stupid uncooperative GPS.

But it is okay. It is all good. I had a great day today, we did all we planned to do, we had a lot of fun. Sometimes I forget how to have fun. And I did something daring, something I wouldn't normally do. No, I didn't get a belly piercing or a tattoo. Just something fun.

Of course I took pictures. Some. But lots of it is un-photograph-able. And that is okay too, because I will have the memories, for a little while at least.

It is funny how close to home you can be and still feel miles and miles away. A part of me, in a strange city, breaking my routine, having to be responsible for myself and for others just yearns for the comfort of my own room, my own bed, my own kitchen, my own comfortable familiar surroundings.

But if we never got away, we would never realize how good we have it.

Tomorrow is home-bound. And until then I will enjoy my own strange part of the world, with my friends, and live it up like only we know how.