Time
waits for no one. It steadily moves forward whether we want it to or not. Our
time in Grenoble continues to dwindle. Already our friends, Djakou, Yao and
Elvia, have left on trips home and will not return to Grenoble until after we
have left. Their departures, as well as others who will be leaving soon, has
both heightened and dissipated my emotions for our own journey. We are sad to
be saying good byes already; I was preparing for this in July but we are finding
we have less time with people than expected.
My
emotions continue to be turbulent, but instead of being carried along through
this season, I am choosing to engage with it. I have decided amidst the
emotions to be thankful. On May 30th, the day I posted Part 1, I
also created a Word document where each day I am writing one thing I am
thankful for in Grenoble. There are so many reasons I have to be thankful. We
have wonderful friends, a fun job, and live in a beautiful city nestled in the
Alps. It has been helpful actively choose thankfulness. Rather than only being
sad at the thirty-six days remaining, I am reminding myself of the incredible nine
hundred and fifty-three days we have already had. In the end it will amount to
forty-five days of thankfulness.
I
am still riding the roller-coaster of emotions, but I’m trying to lift my hands
and cheer.
