a moment

Drowsy passengers

all around me.

Seat backs and tray tables

in their upright and

locked positions.

The window is fogged

with my breath.

My head rests gently

against the glass.

Protection from

the endless skies.

Without it I would surely tumble out.

Allowing gravity to cradle me.

Before giving up.

The clouds, they extend like crumpled up paper.

Many miles passing

with each second.

I feel the weight of my body resting in its seat.

I feel the pressure in my ears,

building

the hiccups of sound that pop

and remind.

We are many miles above the earth.

I scan the horizon.

It beckons.

Come this way.

The sky, a perfect blue.

What is this place I am in.

Suspended in a fine line.

Like a strip of cloudy paper.

Am I on earth,

Or is this heaven.

The fog that envelops becomes thicker

As we descend through the sky.

Movement that feels so small, so infinitesimal

yet

so great.

Shifting passengers.

Stirring from sleep.

Necks rolling.

Mouths opening,

“Can I have some water, please?”

I turn my attention once again.

The sky is no longer blue.

It has faded in its color.

Nothing but grey.

No remnant to remind me.

No imprint of that brilliant shade.

The clouds, they want to be close to me.

They rush by my window with urgency.

There is a break

I can see below.

The city begins to unwind itself.

Buildings and

Highways snaking

Around pockets of houses

Nestled in their hills.

 We are returning.

We have returned.

stopping in

I'm back in Chongqing and settling into the swing of things. I'm unpacking all the little things I had stuffed into the crevices of my suitcases and rearranging various things around the new apartment. The new spot overlooks a beautiful (green!) courtyard with lots of places for walking and yoga. It is quiet and I get to hear the birds in the morning - something that was rare living in the high-rise we were in before. This district is a little further from the metro system, so we take a bus more frequently to get us there. We can see the Jialing river from our balcony, which meets up with Yangtze downtown. We have a noodle shop around the corner that has to die for dumplings and there's a lake I can't wait to go running around when the air quality gets a little better in the spring. 

Settling back into a routine has been hard when I just want to take naps (curse you jet lag) & take hot baths in my new bathtub. Transitioning back to China after two months in the states has been a little strange, but it also feels very normal. My first time flying over to China was a mess of culture-shock and not knowing anyone but Jeremy. This time around, I'm getting settled into the new apartment that I had picked out before I left, meeting up with friends, and teaching yoga classes at Jeremy's english center. It's strange, but normal. Life has it's ways of reminding you that nothing is permanent and to enjoy the moments you get in any given place. My two months in the states felt like a whirlwind of reality and illusion. I can close my eyes and I am back on my friends street, with giant orange and red trees blowing their leaves in the crisp, fall air. I can recall sinking my toes into the sand at the beach a few weeks before that, the salty smell to the air wrapping me in a blanket of nostalgia. It's the feeling of my entire childhood, living within 30 minutes of the ocean at any given point. I can go back to my bike trips in the early morning around DC - the lights from the capitol building blurring together as I sped down the hill. The rush of the cool wind hitting my face, the burn in my legs as I pedaled back up the hills. 

It is in those moments that I think back with great fondness. Life is made up of those little moments. Moments when I would remember to breath in the air and take a mental picture. They happened so slowly at times, but so fast at others. & now I am back here, in this new place, in this country I've already lived in for over a year. It continues to move, time. It will always carry you on a current. Like a child playing in the surf and looking up to realize he has drifted many feet down the beach. Looking up brings us back to reality. Where are we now? Where were we before? 

I'm getting settled in this new space, both mentally and physically. I've got some stuff in the works that I am excited to share with you all. Stay tuned. 

november

EATING || my last few incredible meals before shipping back off to China. 

DRINKING || much less coffee than this time last month.  

PRACTICING || my mental capacity to remember all the Chinese I haven't used in two months.

MASTERING || icloud.

LEARNING || how to say no to all the heavy things I want to take back to China. Like boots. & wine.

PLAYING || peekaboo with my nephew, Levi & my "niece," Cameron.

FINISHING || the last of my visiting rotation. 

READING || ha, the same book I was reading two months ago. Can't wait to get back to normal life so I can finish it.

WATCHING || babies growing up & friends growing into their lives & homes. 

WALKING || in the thickest socks I can find. Wool, you are everything.

WEARING || Sweaters & vests.

COOKING || up some exciting new things for the rainy winter season I have ahead.

WORKING || on mental preparation.

TRAVELING || back to Chiz-ina.

WANTING || a business class seat upgrade for Tuesday. Someone needs to just make that happen. 

a few days late, but here nonetheless. The next time I write, I will be back in my new apartment in Chongqing. 

Life, it goes on.