imapsusa_2213_1560985[1]As much things change, they stay the same. And, we change but stay the same.

It’s been about six weeks since I’ve returned from Kabul.  As I’ve walked and driven around Washington, DC, San Francisco and New York City these last six weeks, I have a heightened awareness of just those two points.

What’s different since my return?  Little things like a bookstore is now an H&M; a post office now a restaurant; there is building where a parking lot once was; another is gone. Bigger things like I see the world a little differently because like everyone, I am changed by my experiences, the highs and lows, the people we meet and places we inhabit.  I have a great group of new friends from Kabul, and they have made my life much richer.

But what has stayed the same?  The perfect cappuccino at my Starbucks (and only that one); enjoying the company of wonderful family and friends (both old and new); the joy that comes from experiencing life; and, of course, the freedom of driving where I want to go, when I want I to go there.

Overall, I realize that change will always be constant, no matter if I’ve returned from 13 months in Kabul or 13 days travelling around America.