Little by Little

I am sitting on my terrace overlooking Gustavia Harbor and am alone and it's quiet and I am fully content. I just completed my first holiday away from what I have called home for so many years. I was indulged by several friends and my husband who all joined me here for my first Thanksgiving and it was really a lovely holiday weekend.

The first two weeks have not been easy as I make my transition from guest to resident. I think my diving experience is a good analogy for what I have been going through. My first time back in the water was rough - there was an unexpected swell and I got tossed around the reef as if I was in the washing machine's spin cycle - for the first time in my life I was really scared in the water. The last few outings however were significantly better - I was comfortable and felt a state of complete bliss.

The same way I got through that first dive is how I got through the last two weeks that had several challenges thrown at me. I survived getting the kitchen and bedroom in order, buying the wrong butter (a mortal sin apparently) and a coconut allergy attack that happened at one of our favorite restaurants that had my skin basically on fire. But we are still learning to live together and roll with life's little adventures.

My mission before the end of the year now is to make this apartment into OUR home. Two men lived here previous to my moving in so it definitely needed woman's touch. Thankfully, I actually enjoy doing a lot of what needs to be done, we have a landlord that is open to making repairs and upgrades without fuss, and although it would be insane to bring MY things here, I have found a few stores that don't rob their clientele blind.

The kitchen and bedrooms are almost complete, the bathrooms have been made to sparkle and the living room - well we'll get to that soon. We are each taking on little things that we don't like to so as to please each other - he does the dishes and I cook food that is not really my favorite all the time. The most important thing is that we really do love each other - and I see it more and more every day - especially when things aren't going smoothly.

So I'll deal with scuba equipment in the living room for a LITTLE while longer and he'll eat some veggies and learn that I'll make a few mistakes when trying to read the french labels. It's what life is all about. Rome wasn't built in a day and this apartment will take some time to get in order. We are apparently a lot more patient than either of us ever thought.