Sunday Musings

In a sense, my "real" life is in the states and this time overseas is a kind of pleasant fiction I get to live for awhile. Not that it's all pleasurable; the heat and the cockroaches in my kitchen are real enough, and I still have to wash dishes and buy groceries and go to work every day. It's just that the "everyday" is so far outside of my range for "normal." It's not hard to understand why some people choose to live as ex-pats for long periods of time; even at its most mundane, life overseas calls on you to stay awake. No matter how many times you see them, those barbecued chicken feet remind you that this isn't Kansas anymore, and you marvel at the whole thing all over again. And isn't that what so many of us complain about? That life seems to be just passing us by in an endless procession of routines?

Please understand, I'm not suggesting that those of you reading this blog should pack up right now and head for the far shores, or that I have a leg up on anyone because I've chosen this path. I titled this entry "Sunday Musings" because that's what it is and reflects what I'm thinking about right now. It's a subject that occupies my thoughts often: what is it that gives meaning to people's lives? What keeps any of us going even when what we're doing doesn't seem particularly meaningful?

Now I can see that I'm about to get myself in way too deep, and I consider whether to abandon this post or go ahead and publish it for what it's worth. Writing a blog is a curious exercise in revealing what is normally a private diary, and I struggle constantly with how much to leave in and what is better left unsaid.