The Arrival

 I step out of the car and stretch and instinctively take in a deep breath.   I fill my lungs with air.   And, I swear, the air goes in easier.   I am breathing easier.   With fuller, more cleansing breaths.

And it proves to me that certain people are meant to live in certain places.   We all have our preferences and our needs and our wishlists but it's clear that our ease in one place over another could take place at a cellular level.

It's exhausting to live in a place where your puzzle pieces don't fit.   It's exhausting to push and maneuver and manipulate, trying to push a square peg into a round hole.   And when the piece slides into place,  an exact fit,  I let out a breath and relax.

And I start to live.

Liam in the backseat, as we cross the border into Minnesota.