A New Normal

Life is a series of new normals isn’t it?

We get established in patterns, they last for a period of time, and then something happens to cause those familiar patterns to change.  Sometimes the change is for the better, sometimes for the worse, and sometimes it is neutral.

For the last year our normal has been Language School.  Up at 4:30 am to get ourselves and our kids ready before heading off to classes.  Family time, homework, and studying in the evenings, and a constant effort to keep all of the elements in balance.  Get up the next day and do it all again.

After a 3 week visit to the States, we are back in Costa Rica and the process of developing a new normal has begun.  We are excited about this new phase and looking forward to getting the new set of patterns in place.

Although there is still a lot of studying and work to be done, it is incredibly freeing to not have the pressure of homework assignments and exams dominating our evenings.  That is a part of the old normal I am glad to leave behind.

Finding our new normal will be a process rather than an event.  So many of the factors to be considered are dynamic and cannot simply be put down in a list on a piece of paper.  Step by step it will come though, and soon the label of the “new normal” will blend into our daily routine.