Some Quirky and Some Refreshing

This city is MASSIVE! She is littered with tall buildings, narrow cars and streets. Her people are many, varied and wonderful!! That being said there are few experiences that make her a distinct city and I have been refreshed in some old things too . . .

1- Traffic is a serious commitment of time and energy, not to be trivialized. One must seek to maximize this time suck, bring a good book or fun people to talk with!

2- If in this traffic ones child wants to sleep, said child has to be OK with 'anywhere' as acceptable options for instance: a parents shoulder moving or still in any location regardless of sound, handle bars of a bike or moped, leaning on a sibling in the train, on a mothers head straddling her shoulder walking down the street . . . the point is really not where but that one gets a nap in! Right?

3- Clothes Pins are GREAT! And one needs many, being a large population exists close together there are many high buildings, one usually dries their clothes outside on the balcony from any height. This makes clothes pins your best friend and ally. This also strengthens your relationship with the Lord as you feel a compulsion to pray as your clothes dangle from, for example, the 12th floor. Though sadly I am not sure pleading for your clothes earns you any eternal rewards . . .

4- Parking options are as varied and tricky as napping locations.

5- Personal space is as rare and unheard of as a the phrase 'parking lot'. This really just a western notion though so . . . and really who wants everything to be the same!!!

6- There is one thing that is the same . . . people are people everywhere! They have the same things going on in life in differing degrees . . . there are Americans that are struggling to pay bills concerned about their families, there are Sudanese not making enough money to care for their family as they want to, there are Egyptians feeling pinched by the wage they can't seem to work hard enough to increase. There are young women every where longing for love and men everywhere looking for that special someone. Kids all still think the same things are funny!

So really anywhere can be 'home=comfortable and familiar' with the right people no matter how things swirl around you, no matter how many mistakes you make with strangers, no matter how uncomfortable certain things might 'feel'! The Lord seems to provide the comfortable and familiar in dear friends as you make a new like and family together helping and caring for each other! The Lord Will provide for all our needs as we trust and look to Him to be our everything.