A Fork

This past spring, while living in Azerbaijan, we had a defining moment.  You know the kind.  You can clearly see the divergent paths that your life could take.  A fork in the road, if you will.  One path would have taken us to Siberia.  Seriously.  Siberia was to be the hubby's next posting with his previous employer.  I'm always up for adventure, but come on.  It's only above freezing for 2 months out of the year.  And more importantly, I'm not a young pup anymore.  The kid thing was a factor.  I've never known whether I wanted children or not, but I least wanted the chance to try.  I know thousands of women have children every day in Siberia.  I just didn't want to be one of them.  Looking down this path seemed like a black and white movie.  Void of color.  The only positive point seemed to be that I'd be guaranteed several exotic beach trips a year.  They would be a necessity to ensure my sanity.

The opposite path would lead us back to Oklahoma.  A secure job, near family, nestled between everything comfortable and easy.  Big box stores with more than I could ever need.  Houses with plenty of inexpensive square footage.  Sidewalks with man hole covers.  Police officers who you can trust.  The masses adhering to traffic laws.  But where is the adventure in all of that?  I worried that easy could lead to boredom.  Comfortable could lead to complacency.  And the worst vice of all, mediocrity.  I doubt I'll be considered a great person, but I do want to experience great things.

And with the very real prospect of Siberia looming, we chose the proven, safe path.  Six months later, we are once again rooted in American life.  It's a cake walk by most standards.  And what a yummy piece of cake it is.  The best part is that this chosen path - our defining moment- has blessed us with an expanding family.  In March 2012, we will welcome a baby!  You'll have to forgive me if my "travelogue" is sparsely populated with travel stories and more with journeys of motherhood.  It just comes with the territory.