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A Snail has a Home

There are two types of world travelers. There are the snails- who carry their home wherever they go, and there are the birds- who leave everything behind.

I am a snail.

Did you know that there are about 150,000 species of snails and they have been found to live in the deep ocean trenches as well as in deserts?

I am packing up to move from a desert to an island. I hate packing. I want to bring everything with me.

This beautiful specimen is from Phuket,

Thailand, when my husband and I visited in 2014.

My home in Saudi is more important to me than any other home I have lived. It is a respite from the terrifying traffic, not speaking the language, and the rest of real world. Here we do life. I learned to become a better chef in Saudi (I cooked my first turkey, made yogurt, and made sauerkraut). My kids grew from toddlers to children. We spend most of our time in this small home. It is the top floor of a cement white duplex. The windows overlook green trees on two sides and I see the apartment building and playground from the front balcony. It is not pretty from the outside with the peeling patches of paint and smudged black address lettering. God, but the joy that resides inside.

Sea Snails used to be a symbol of rebirth for pre-Columbian Americans. The fine whirled shape of its shell is a stamp of the circle of life. They were also a symbol for joy. This weekend my mom helped me pack up four suitcases of all my truly 'extra' belongings. A hand painted jug from Switzerland, a 100 year old creamer from my grandmother, a clay dolphin painted by my daughter, a wood carving from Indonesia... Each was carefully wrapped and shipped... enroute to our new home.

We have 32 days left. "I rocked shut/ As a sea shell..." Maybe I can just curl up and sleep. Maybe, when I wake up, it will all be finished.


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