Travel = NOT a Big Deal

#72
Being gone a lot is just a part of my job. Conferences, retreats, mission trips, summer assignments etc... we really don't ever stay in one place for very long. This is VERY different from local culture here in Hawaii. People rarely ever leave the island, so when someone's gone for like 2 weeks (which, to me, is a SHORT trip... and being gone for a weekend doesn't even count), it's a big deal. It's rather sweet and endearing how much people make a big deal about it... I just don't get it, I guess. Between having moved around a lot as a kid and having the job that I do and loving travel as much as I do, I think being gone for periods of time is a natural, healthy part of life. But now I'm seeing that mindset as a product of my culture and up-bringing and not a universal truth. Hm...

(I had a conversation with someone today about this because they were expecting me to be missing Jamie a lot. Hahaha. Jamie, don't worry I do miss you. It's just not a big deal- that's all!)