It’s been almost two full days since we’ve been home from a month away in London. You know the saying “step out of the box”… this was my step and here are a few things I noticed when I returned home, things that maybe I would have not realized otherwise.

We have a big house. Yes, we stayed in a studio but still, after weeks in the small place, I can see how you can adapt and make it fit. It felt very cozy and it was enough. When I walked back into our home, I opened all the doors and windows. I went on the deck. The house felt so big and while it felt familiar and it was so good to be home, I could not help but think that it’s too big.

I missed listening to country music. And I’m not even a country girl! I drove to the store and while browsing the stations, I stopped at the country one. It felt so good. I just can’t imagine listening to country while in London… No, it just doesn’t fit, it feels wrong.

It’s good to be back at work. I feel very refreshed and ready to go. While I thought about work, answered e-mails and scheduled appointments while away, I didn’t really work at all. It is good to have something you love to do and create and I am ready for a great year work wise. I have a few new ideas and a good plan for the year ahead. Being able to look and think about my business while in a totally different environment helps me see things that I don’t noticed while emerged in everyday routines.

It’s quiet here in the suburbs. The apartment was located in South London, in a residential area, surrounded by trees and no really any big businesses. Still, it was loud. The morning traffic, the busses, the birds, everything was much louder than here in Lake Villa. When I woke up in my bedroom the first morning home, it was just so quiet. A big road runs close to our neighborhood, but it’s just not as loud and honestly, even the birds are calmer and more melodic.

My kitchen. I really missed my kitchen. It’s not fancy or anything, but having the ability to cook a proper meal on a normal looking stove, it’s such a treat. And to make that even more pleasant, walking outside to my garden to pick veggies for dinner is such a great luxury. I did not see many large vegetable gardens but there were plenty of vegetables being grown. Yes, a tomato plant here and one over there but I think I saw more flowers that vegetables. Yes, the flowers at every house were such a nice sight. Everyone puts a lot of work into it and the weather is also a great factor. It was actually very inspiring.

Above all, I missed being able to connect to my boyfriend whenever I wanted. I did not have cell phone service while abroad but we did communicate via Skype. But the 8h difference between California and London was very annoying. He would go to sleep right when I woke up. Then we couldn’t talk for hours because, while he slept for the first part of my day, I explored the city for his first part of the day. The wifi was also a pain with periods when it just didn’t work. It is so nice to be able to just text or call whenever I have something to tell him.

I am sure there will be more things that will come to light but as days go by, I fall back into the daily routine, overwhelmed by chores and commitments. The month away will become a memory and only little things here and there will take me back to the streets of London. But even so, being able to feel so grateful for the little things is a great reminder that when you travel, you learn things that are only possible to be seen if you step away long enough to allow for different views on your life.

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” — Miriam Beard