I Tried So Hard

I tried so hard. I did everything I could and then some. Even my husband joined me in trying. My children and grandchildren embraced you with their whole hearts. I changed my entire life so that you would be comfortable. I tried to make you happy.

We gave you our bedroom and bathroom.
We turned up the heat even though we were burning up.
I gave you coats, jackets, scarves, gloves, and vests.
We walked your dog 4 times a day in any weather.
I took your dog to the groomer and vet each time you asked.
I cooked your meals.
I cleaned your room and bathroom.
I washed your sheets and remade your bed every week.
I did all your laundry.
I took you to your doctors' appointments.
I gifted you my older hearing aids because you did not have any.
I invited you to all of my activities.
I introduced you to my friends.
I took you to my church and Bible study.
I took you shopping and out to many restaurants.
I helped you with your knee replacement surgery.
I took you to physical therapy 3 times per week and even more doctor's appointments.

And yet, you still were not happy. You said you were homesick. I get that. You said that your dog did not like the snow. I get that too. However, I worked hard to make this your home. To make you feel safe, loved, and secure. And yet, you were not happy.

I am at a loss. I am out of ideas. You did not like my home, my friends, my husband, my life.
Even though I was having fun — getting to know you all over again, showing you my life, my city, my family, and my friends. I wanted so badly for you to settle in and just love us. However, it was not to be. No matter how hard I tried, nothing made you happy.
So, I guess it was time for you to go back to your home state and build a life for yourself that isn't here with me.

I have so many fears for you, though. That you will not be happy there either. That you will be unsafe, unprotected, uncared for, and unloved. These are my fears. I am worried about you.

I realize I don't have control over this situation, and you make your own choices. When you do, please remember this one thing. That I love you and wish that you had stayed with me.

And that I tried so hard.

My Global Thoughts

I love to travel, that's no secret. I dream about it consistently. Even while on a trip, this weirdo is dreaming and planning her next adventure. And while traveling, my husband and I share a few inside jokes — one being that any and all Starbucks are, in fact, US embassies.  I am not ashamed that I secretly (ok, not so secretly) am thrilled to pieces when traipsing through Europe, I spy with my little eye — a Starbucks! A thrill shoots through my body as I run towards my home away from home, yelling, "Dry cappuccino, please!"  It really does. And you know why? Because a Starbucks in any language is still a Starbucks. Pretty much.

And that is kind of what I really want to talk about right now. Language. Or lack thereof. I don't know of any way to put this other than bluntly, so please don't take offense. But I want to just say it out loud and then explain my perspective on this issue.

I know that as Americans, we do not like pressing 1 for English. Do you hear what I am saying? A lot of you complain. This is America, why do I have to press 1 to hear my own language? Why don't others just learn English? And on and on. You know who you are. You've said it before. And guess what? I think I have even said it a time or two. Way back in the day, way back before I began to travel the globe. However, I don't feel that way any longer. Not even a little bit. Traveling has changed my life, my perspective, my attitude. And it has made me a kinder, gentler person. At least that's what I'd like to believe about myself.

I remember, on one such trip in Italy, we were in a small town, an airport, or a train station, and there wasn't even one sign in English!  How dare they! Just how were we supposed to get around if we couldn't understand the signage? We walked around aimlessly for a bit before hearing someone speak English, and then we asked for help. Fortunately, they were very kind to us and pointed us in the right direction. I couldn't help thinking that our lives would have been so much easier had all their signs been printed up in several languages for travelers. Especially English!

As we become more and more global and travel more, I find myself looking out for others and wanting to help them navigate airports, train stations, large cities, etc. As I sit on trains, as I walk city streets, as I wait for taxis, I listen. I watch. And I wait, and then as I'm needed, I help. One poor French gentleman in Germany could not figure out how to work the ticket machine at the local train station.  My husband couldn't help him (he takes over for us while in Germany); however, I was able to help him (as I take over while in France), so I helped this Frenchman buy his train ticket in Germany because nothing on the machine was in French or English--just German.  Some might think that it was as it should be. signs in the country of origin. I'm not so sure, though. We've become a global traveling people. We need signs, signs, and more signs, in many languages, not just one.

It isn't just America that has signs in its own language; it's kind of a universal thing, especially in smaller towns.  Wouldn't it be nice, though, if that weren't the case? Wouldn't it be great if all signs--toll roads, freeways, ATMs, menus, buses, trains, airports--you get the idea--were in several different languages? I would love that. It would make traveling so much easier. And much more worry-free.

We live in a global society. We, as a people, need to face that reality. The world is getting smaller. People are traveling now more than ever. Let's get with the program.  Let's make it easier on each other and stop being so narrow-minded about language. It doesn't really hurt anything or anyone to print stuff up in a few more languages. So you have to press 1 — big deal. Press it. Do it for me. It's for those who travel. Remember, they stimulate our economy. And we theirs. So really, if you have to think of it this way--you're doing it for yourself.

Those are just a few (a very few) of my global thoughts. I'm in the mood, especially lately, for a kinder world. And as I plan my next trip abroad, I am praying, even as I type, that someone, somewhere is taking pity on this American and printing out a simple sign for me--in English.