Year 2: Gotta be better than year 1

This quote pretty much sums up my life:
I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing!  
 ~ Agathe Christle 

London, England:
What a beautiful place!?!  London reminds me a lot of New York City: pubs, taxis, incredibly expensive, beautiful people, luxury accommodations, restaurants, parks and Broadway shows.   Overall impression.....London was a crowded, fast and huge bustling city.

I stayed in Greater London for my conference (but traveled into the city during the evenings) and that area was more like a lot of little towns and villages joined together.  Each neighborhood seemed to have its own character. Some were very nice. Some were dangerous and unsettling.  Much like NY there seems to be a vast range of wealth.  It appears that some of the richest people in the world live in London.  On the other hand, some very poor people live on the streets in cardboard boxes too.

The tube (London’s underground subway) is pretty brilliant; you can cross the city quickly and easily, and it is one of the best-connected systems I’ve been on (after NYC of course lol).  London when measured against other major cities in the world seems to still be worthy of its place near the top of the list as one of the world’s top cities.  I think the pubs and food moved their ranking to the top for me!

Summer in NYC:
So my summer in NYC was a whirlwind, tornado, cyclone all wrapped in one (Elena told me it would be and I should have listened)!  It is impossible to put into context the amount of people you feel obligated to see, dinners and drinks, and money I spent getting together to see some familiar faces.  While it was a very exhausting and time consuming trip, I appreciated every moment of catching up with family and friends.  A lot has changed since I have been gone in Qatar; but many things stayed the same.  While it was comfortable to come home to familiar surroundings, I found myself feeling out of place in my longtime home.  Didn’t think it would only take me one year for me to realize that living in NYC isn’t for me anymore.

The things you learn as you get older (and hopefully wiser)...

1. The rumors are true: your metabolism does slow down as you get older! That means if you’re still eating whatever you want, there’s a good chance you’ll start to gain an awkward amount of weight.
2. You’re going to have people in your life who are toxic. They may say that they love you, they may say that they have your back, but they don’t. Get rid of them.
3. Always swallow your pride to say you’re sorry. Being too proud to apologize is never worth it — your relationship suffers for no good benefit. (my husband helped me learn this)
4. The moment is all there is.  All our worries and plans about the future, all our replaying of things that happened in the past — it’s all in our heads, and it just distracts us from fully living right now. Let go of all that, and just focus on what you’re doing, right at this moment. 
5. You can’t motivate people. The best you can hope for is to inspire them with your actions. 
6. You are so lucky to have everything that you have. Stop crying about stupid shit and get some perspective.

Year 2
The next segment of my journey in the Middle East has officially begun.  We just moved into the flat at the Pearl, which is a man-made Island here in Doha Qatar (kinda dope).  The pearl tower we moved into is similar to our apartment back in NYC, except the amenities in this tower makes this a huge upgrade in terms of apartments.  Lap pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, squash/tennis court, bbq deck area, fitness gym, doorman, concierge, taxis on call, maid service, and 2 bathrooms (yes lord two lol).  As I sit back here in my new pearl Doha flat taking in the sights, smells, and sounds; and all I can think is that God has truly blessed me and taken me down a path unforeseen.  Now don’t get me wrong the work and hours I will have to put in this year will be compensation for these perks and accommodations…but its all worth it right?

If someone asked me two years ago back at Lighthouse where I would be today, I would say with certainty in a Principalship somewhere in the inner city.  Just goes to show you that our plan isn’t always what God has planned for us.  His plan is divine and great....way beyond our imagination.