Time Capsules, Coffee, and The Smiths

So. Hum. Work is going well. In fact, it's going really well. Better than I would have expected when I started in June. I love the people I work with - intelligent, witty, and capable of surprising acts of compassion. I wouldn't mind using my workplace as a good example of humanity, in fact. Well, most of the time :) We ARE human, after all.

Shallow though it may seem, it's so nice to have money to spend. My MacBook is getting a new keyboard, I have a nice Time Capsule (wireless hard drive), a new mouse, and a shiny new iPod that sings to me. These are things I've wanted for a long time, and now I can finally enjoy playing with them on my days off.

It's so strange to have a job where I can volunteer to work late without money being an incentive to do so. I love it here. I've been speaking with some coworkers lately, and one in particular seems insistent on being my friend despite obvious, huge differences. He asked me where my favorite place I'd ever lived was. My answer was immediately "Naples." My heart tugged and I could feel my eyes glossing over and that familiar wave of homesickness begin to wash over me. After a few moments I realized that I am happy here - just in a very different way. I appended my answer with, "Well, I have to say that I like it here, too. . . much more than I expected."

I still miss my cobblestoned streets and ancient buildings, the facades by Michaelangelo and the Bernini fountains. I miss them so much I cannot breathe when I think of them. All things considered, I am glad that God placed me here and not in the Great Lakes. His plan is still a mystery, but I'm enjoying learning that He's putting me where I need to be. His gifts are abounding, and I'm discovering more of them every day.

It's so comforting to know I'm not in control of my life.