Home Sweeeeeeeet Home!

Sometimes I pinch myself expecting to wake up from this polar dream, but usually I just end up saying, "what on earth am I doing here?" This was one of those times. Suddenly I'm sitting on a comfy chair next to a stove eating a chocolate bar with my boots off...on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica on the 22nd of December. "Snap out of it!" It felt more like I was in a mountain cabin in backountry Colorado. I had wondered what the Kiwi A-frame was like and finally I got to see it. It was about an hour hike from the road to get to this cozy little nook. I walked in from the cold and was amazed to see a quaint cabin- with worn wood walls, a table for playing cards, a few books, and a small outhouse out back. What a cool little place to escape the busy life at the science station! My friend, who I had hiked in with, decided to go on a hike for a few hours and I opted to chill out in the cabin. He is dating a Kiwi so he was my connection into this place. The first thing I realized was how much it felt like home...maybe not my home, but home. You know, a place where you can kick off the boots, pull out a good book, play some cards with a friend, sit by the stove, and cook up a little sweet goodness in the kitchen- that kind of home. I have not had that feeling for months, and I miss it. It felt so right to sit around sipping tea, reading, and writing as I heard the wind whipping against the sides of the cabin. Life slowed down for a few hours as I remembered to thank God for the little blessings in life. May we never forget to grin at the little things that give our lives joy.