The town of deer

I wake up and pull the dogs close, showering them with kisses and hugging them a little bit too hard. 

I also hug Rich a little bit too hard, a few times too often, until he pushes me away gently and tells me, "dragging it out won't make it any easier. You have to go now." He is right, of course, but when I turn away for the final time I have to take several deep breaths to prevent myself from crying. I lift my blue suitcase into my trunk, give Lily a last kiss on the nose, and then I start the car. I slowly make my way up the driveway, watching the foals gallop around the field, tails high up in the air and loving life. I fill up the goats' water bucket, wave goodbye at them and then I'm really off. It's 5:45 in the morning.

I'm overly dramatic, I know that. It's only 8 days before I'll be back home, and I'm barely 100 km away from it - yet it feels big. The beginning of something new, something different is always scary, isn't it? Yet I know, deep down in my bones and my soul that this is right for me - that it's right for us.

The rising sun is blood-red, struggling to make her way through the smoke in the air. The forest fires are upon us, and smoke is wafting all around the Interior. 

After about 20 minutes, I leave the broad highway and enter a smaller, windy road. It leads through gently rolling hills and small forests, passes by sparkling lakes, and when a big pasture opens up I see a herd of deer: at least a dozen of them, grazing peacefully, the fawns running around and playing, uncannily similar to the two foals I left behind not an hour earlier. 

And then I roll into my new town, and to my new place of work. The little hospital is surrounded by trees, the lawns in front of it are dotted with benches and little pavilions for resting or having lunch, and I feel - pretty good. Strangely, not nervous at all, but eager. 

I walk into the department, struggling to find the light switches. The lab techs I share my office with help me out, and we make introductions all around. Everybody is very nice and welcoming. Once I've completed my morning checklist I wander around the hospital, checking where everything is and introducing myself along the way. I spend my lunch outside under the trees, and once I'm finished eating I go for a little stroll around the neighbourhood, spying a deer having a bit of lunch herself. She won't be the last one I see that day.
The work is familiar and comforting, and after a few hours the hospital doesn't seem that new anymore - I'm already falling into a nice routine. Every patient is friendly and welcomes me to their town, and how nice is that?

One of my new co-workers invites me to come along to a boxing class that evening, and another one says if I'm ever stuck for a place to stay I can sleep at her house. Oh, how I love small towns and their friendly people!

After work I check into my hotel for the week, which is a pleasant surprise: it has a little kitchen attached to it, with a large fridge, stove, coffee maker and even a microwave. Yay! The bed is comfy, the room is cool, and after unpacking my suitcase it feels a little more like home.
Once I've unpacked and changed into something cooler I venture into town. First stop: the library. I check out two books, because aside from work, my goal for my weeks away from home are simple: reading, writing and exercising.

After wandering around for a bit and buying some groceries I head back home. Yes, I called it home in my head, and isn't it amazing how quickly we adapt to new situations?
I watch Grey's for an hour, and then I get called back to the hospital for an x-ray. I walk over (it's a 2-minute walk!), and on the way there I see yet another deer, nibbling on a bush right in front of the hospital.
After my callback Rich calls, and I tell him all about my day. We chat for a while, and then it's time for my first boxing class! The gym is another 2 minutes away (by car), and for an hour we squat, spar, jump rope, do push-ups, shadow-box, and sweat like crazy. I like it more than I thought I would, and I know I will be back next time I'm in town.

I fall into bed, pleasantly tired and happy.
It's been a good day.

xoxo Miriam   

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