Contentment in the Waiting

Still waiting for the FBI background check to appear in my mailbox, but life is really good right now. The end of January is here [literally the last few hours as I type this] and while I didn't expect to still be waiting on that slow-like-molasses piece of official paperwork, I also didn't expect to be as content as I am right now.

First off, has anyone else been enjoying this beautiful weather? Fifty-one degree Fahrenheit in January? I will so take that! After two nasty snow storms, this lovely weather is truly a breath of fresh air.

Secondly, while I wait (and wait and wait) for my life to take off (the bad puns are still coming...sorry!), the lives of a number of my coworkers are in transition as well. Their upcoming absence reminds me how much I appreciate their humor, their opinions, their justifiable sense of outrage over silly and stupid customer antics, and their willingness to listen to me complain about how much I dislike being alone in my department sans customers. There is a wide variety of people in this world and I don't have to cross the Pacific to figure that out; work in retail and be amazed.

I've also really appreciated reading so many books on my Kindle this past month. I've plowed through The Hunger Games (entrancing, entertaining, and I cannot wait for the movie!), In the Garden of the Beasts, the Twilight series (guilty pleasure) and more. I am currently reading The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and loving it.

But my favorite part about still being in the States is the time I get to spend with my family. Coming home from work, eating my favorite couscous recipe, and putting in a DVD or Blu-ray is a fantastic way to end the day. My mom and I have been watching Downton Abbey and Pan Am on television and watching movies like Incendies, Persepolis, Margin Call, Of Gods and Men, Winter in Wartime, Invictus, Mao's Last Dancer and Coco Before Chanel. I love living with someone who shares my tastes in film. I love seeing my father for dinner once a week and having the opportunity to visit my sister at college every month or two. I also appreciate having my entire wardrobe at my fingertips (or completely piled on my sister's bed) because I know my selection in clothing will decline rather dramatically once I board a plane to Seoul.

All in all, while I wish I were in South Korea right now (or at the very least knowledgeable of an exact departure date), I am so glad that I am where I am right now. God has definitely provided peace in the waiting and opened my eyes to see the wonderful parts of living in the US.