The difference between living somewhere and feeling at home

I moved to Sweden in 1990. It's been 20 years since I met my husband, and we've lived on and off in his hometown for the past 15+ years. On any given day, a walk downtown means frequents stops to greet HIS former schoolmates, workmates, teammates, along with the regular group of friends and acquaintances. On such encounters the normal procedure is that polite introductions are made, I put out my hand and smile, and continue smiling and nodding in silence as they chat briefly before it's time to move on. Throughout the years, my sense of vision has pretty much been put on hold simply because I haven't had nearly as many contacts as him, and thus, there has been no need for me to tune in to those that pass by us on the street.

My New Year's resolution this year, to reach out and broaden my own circle of friends, is one that has really remained present with me for the past 10 months. I have been inspired by book MWF Seeks BFF (which I've mentioned in past entries). Besides that, I am a huge fan of Facebook, which has done loads to help me rekindle old friendships (something that was really made clear at this summer's high school reunion) as well as develop and deepen blossoming friendships here.

The payoff is fantastic. Just yesterday, my lone 1½ block walk between the gym and my car included three warm hugs that left me feeling like I was walking on clouds...