I woke up a discouraged, knowing that I had nothing to do and no one to play with. You see, this expat life is cyclical in terms of your friends. People come and go quite often, and it can be tough being the one 'left behind.' We joke that I've lost all my friends, and though certainly I haven't 'lost' them, they're no longer in the Hausfrau realm and can only play after work. Imagine that!
Out of the many things I've learned through this journey is the importance of simply choosing to be present in each day, one at a time. There's no use in worrying about the future, right? God promises that it'll take care of itself, and quite honestly, it always seems to do so.
Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I blogged a bit, left the phone at home, and took off on my bike with the pool in mind. Frankfurt has these excellent pools literally in the woods that you kind of just happen upon (at least in my case on a bike.) I was destined for Brentano, a pool larger than a football field that looks more like a lake, but took a wrong turn and stumbled upon Hausen, which was smaller and less crowded.
A little sunbathing and a good book does this Florida girl wonders!
It's nice to not have your phone as well, because I fear becoming too dependent on checking it every spare moment I have, just for something to fill the void. When I have littles, I don't want to be constantly connected.. I just wanna be there. I didn't miss it, until I was cruising, deliriously happy and content with the lushness of the expansive park and the clear blue skies and missing the camera on my phone to document. Always the need to document, to share... is this a healthy thing? I think so-- I want to remember, to stay connected with my loves far away, but there needs to be a balance between sharing everything and keeping things sacred.
Like the muskrats I saw swimming in the canal, someone's dogs just staring with longing as they floated by. Definitely sacred. I've never seen a muskrat except while watching "Rikki Tikki Tavi," so I think that's what they were. Not cute like otters. Not one bit.
You know what else I would have taken pictures of on the way home? The sweet old man in the middle of a field of wildflowers up to his knees, snapping pictures of the brilliantly yellow buds with his good camera. Or the toddler in the middle of a deep, twitchy nap at the pool under the shade of an umbrella while his momma got a few moment's respite to read a girly magazine.
I probably would have surreptitiously snapped a picture of the leathery old men that sunbathe naked in the local park, just enough out of view to notice details, but close enough for a full moon.
For today, my descriptions will have to suffice.
Confirmed through a google search. It was definitely a muskrat. Those tails, though! ugh.
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