My Rhode Island guest

I’m sitting at my desk, the air mattress deflating to my left. The house is quiet, save for the clack of my keyboard. My body is TIRED. It’s been a full two days. But amazing. I picked M up from the train station yesterday morning, and dropped her back this afternoon. Two-ish days here in Lux. Two days that she took vacation time for. Two days that she fought to pay for meals and snacks.

M was part of the Academy. We didn’t work a ton together, as her role had her in a different building than me. But as my time was coming to a close, we ended up first at a Jonas Brothers concert, and then on a few projects, working more closely together. And found out our birthdays was a literal day apart. As kind as she was, the pinnacle was when she shared her office birthday celebrations, on her actual birthday, with me, whose birthday was the next day. As my time in Boston drew to an end, we got to interact much more, and I was sorry to move away from such an incredible human.

So I wasn’t overly surprised when she messaged me that work was bringing her to Amsterdam, and she wanted to come see me. I felt quite humbled that she would take the time to see Luxembourg. But as we lingered over coffees and cocktails through these last days, I realized that she meant what she had first texted- she came to see me. It is an overwhelming feeling when you realize that there are those humans that care enough to come to see you, and see your life, and make sure you are OK, and they don’t care where in the world that is, because they will take the uncomfortable train rides and bad connections, and whatever inconveniences because they care about you.

It takes a village, and I’m so very grateful for mine.