Greetings from Connecticut

I feel a little like I'm living in a postcard this week. I'd love to find one of those old fashioned "greetings" cards. I could upload the photo for you. :) Being back in Connecticut is always an experience for me. In some respects, it's awesome. I get to see places I hung out as a teenager -- as much as they've been transformed, they still bring back memories. I get to see good friends and family that I just never can connect with enough from 3,000 miles away. But there's always reminders of the reasons why I left, the obnoxious people on the streets and the attitudes out at restaurants and stores.

But this trip has been different, more positive than negative. I've been trying to put my finger on the why of it, and it seems like it's a matter of attachment (or lack thereof). I'm just not feeling attached to anything. Now, that might not sound like a good thing. It might smack of apathy or indifference. But that's not it at all. I'm much more present this trip. I'm not experiencing Connecticut through the eyes of the past, I'm actually seeing it as it is now. I'm enjoying its beauty and not being bugged as much by its flaws. I feel more contentment, less agita. I'm focusing on the yummy Chinese and Italian food, the beauty of the snow and the rivers and the trees, the joy of connecting with friends and family. I don't have a picture in my head of how things should be; instead, I'm just enjoying what is. There's a lot of power in that kind of detachment. And a lot more happiness.

Wish me luck with the remainder of my travels. Today I am off to New Jersey to continue this journey of contentment. Namaste.

Editor's Note, 12/30/07: I went back and found one of those postcards -- I love those images! I just started re-watching one of my favorite TV series of all times, Wonderfalls, and had forgotten that they use that type of postcard as part of the titles. I'm not sure which came first -- my love for the postcards or my love of the show, but the synchronicity is making me smile today.