This period of absence has been longer than intended, I'm sorry. I am getting settled in and enjoying a small sense of familiarity as I was only home for two weeks. I expect that in a few weeks the novelty and fleeting familiarity will wear off and it will hit me that I'm not on vacation, and most importantly that I won't get to have my mom's cooking for quite some time. We'll see how that meltdown goes. In the meantime, when I'm sick of working at my desk and feeling overwhelmed, I can travel about twenty steps and take in the view above. It is beautiful and focusing and the breath I take while absorbing it seems to reach deep into my soul and fill my whole body with hope.