There’s this thing I do that sometimes still surprises me.

It’s an adventure. It’s fun. At times it’s overwhelming – a fair amount of work to be sure. Often days pass by without me thinking about it, but then something will happen and the craziness of it will all crash back down on me. I never expected to do this thing, and then it was only supposed to be temporary. Then when it wasn’t simply temporary, it was only gonna be for a few more months. And then it wasn’t, but the change was so gradual that at times I wonder if it will ever fully hit me, and at other times it feels like this has been my reality for ages upon ages.

See, I live on my own.

It was Christmas Day when I was starting my trek back to Kentucky from spending several days with my family in Ohio that the GPS on my phone first referred to where I now live as home. I didn’t program it to do that, and quite frankly it surprised me and I had to double-check to make sure it was taking me to the correct location. It was.

Today marks the seventh month since I moved here. Seven months, Thirty-one weeks, Two-hundred-and-seventeen days. More than half a year, and a lot more than the three months we originally discussed.

My life has changed a lot in those months. Most of the changes have been good. A few of those changes (like a lack of blogging) I hope to rectify as the next seven months dance by. Some things in life are simply so different now that comparing them to my old life isn’t even feasible.

Today the reason it hit me again that I live on my own is that I want popcorn, but I forgot it while going grocery shopping yesterday. I come from a big family, and back where I lived in Ohio I had multiple married siblings who lived within ten minutes of my family’s home. That meant if I didn’t have something I wanted/needed, there was a fair possibility that with a few texts I could either be 1) Invited over for popcorn, 2) Given popcorn, 3) Have a family member stopping at the store and they’d pick up popcorn for me.

(Funny story, as I’m blogging I’m watching our family’s texting group light up with texts as one of the siblings invites everyone over for an impromptu movie/snack evening. This sort of thing is exceedingly normal in my family.)

And in reality, popcorn isn’t that big of a deal – I ate a salad instead (which is probably one of my finer moments but not necessarily as common as it should be). But, popcorn is simply a small example that makes me stop and consider what I’m really doing in life.

I’m the homebody of the family. A self-proclaimed sibling-follower. The one who enjoyed tagging along instead of having to forge her own trail. And yet here I am – living in a different state from my family. Going to church on my own. Thankfully, I do have my “second/adopted” family to work with, although with how their schedule is set up, they’re not here a lot of the time.

Sometimes I have to stop and wonder what I’m doing with my life. Why I left my family and moved to another state. Every time I do though, I’m hit with an overwhelming assurance that I’m doing the right thing. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. This is my life, and I’m so, so thankful for the chance to live it, and to live it well.