Homecoming

Virgo:: Jaeyana Beuraheng, a mother of eight, decided to travel from her small village in southern Thailand to Malaysia for a day-long shopping trip. But she accidentally boarded the wrong bus, transferred to another wrong bus, and ended up in a distant city where everyone spoke a language she didn't understand. Her money ran out, and she started begging in the streets. Accused of being an illegal immigrant, she was given shelter in a social services hostel. Years went by. Finally three people from her village visited the hostel by chance, and she was able to communicate in her native tongue. Through their assistance, she went home. The moral of the story, as far as you're concerned, is this: Whatever wrong turn you made, and however long ago it was, you're ready to go back home.

Interesting. Last night, while I was cooking dinner with a full kitchen of women, Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" came on, and I was struck by the lyrics-- really, in the past few months, I really have been suffused with the sense that I'm coming home. Spiritually, at least. The way I see it, in life, there will always be difficulties, challenges. You can't avoid that. But what I've found that makes it worth it is creating a family that truly feels like home-- one beyond blood or circumstantial familial bonds. A key part of that for me was finding and helping to knit together a community of women who support one another. I know the catalyst for that was dance. Dance brought Bridget, Ariel and I back together, it introduced me to Sarah, to Flissy, and to a degree, to Abby. The swing and bellydance communities in general have been wonderful to me-- warm and accepting, and they've given me a sense of sisterhood that I had never before experienced. I've been more fulfilled in the last few months than I can remember being for most of my life, and in a way, that's its own kind of homecoming, long in the making though it might be.

In other news, I'm losing my voice. This is not a good thing. It is a good thing, however, that I can relax and not use my voice after work tonight, and probably tomorrow night. Overall, though, last night went well. There was pesto pasta, salad, hummus, wine, flowering tea, and dessert to be had, and good company-- Sarah, Ariel, Agnes, Bridget. There was chick-flicking and lots of laughter. I got two earcuffs done-- one for me and one for youvebeenpixied, and I think they're gonna be a success! The color-changing Swarovski is SO COOL and I hope they come out with more shades. As a bonus, I got to stay up chattering with Bridget into the wee hours of the morning, which means I'm fairly exhausted right now, but I take what I can get.

I have also come to the conclusion that my umbrella is the anti-rainstick. Whenever I bring it, it does not rain. If I leave it at home, there is a torrential downpour. Right now, the sky is night-dark, and it's really coming down. Guess what I forgot? At any rate, I'm not really going to complain-- we've been in a pretty crappy drought, and we need every last drop.