Turning off the GPS

I kept looking for my car. I knew the spot where I parked it, but the car in that spot was not my car. This was a new one for me. I had never lost a car in a parking lot before. Just as I was ready to call the cops and report my car stolen, I remembered. I now have a Florida license plate.

I lived in Fargo, North Dakota, for over 30 years. Way past the expiration date. For 30 years, I had a North Dakota license plate that read ABUNDNT. That day when I thought my car was stolen, I was looking for my license plate among the sea of light gray cars. I did find my car finally, in the spot I remember parking. It was sitting there with its Florida plates, waiting for me. This incident made me uneasy. I couldn't help but wonder why I hadn’t started to feel at home yet. Florida driver's license felt odd; I was not used to my license plate. I still felt like I was on vacation and would have to leave for Fargo any minute now.

The feeling persisted.

But then, little things begin to happen. I started to drive without my phone screaming directions at me. I knew where to go and how to get there without a GPS within 20 miles radius of my home. When someone asked me where I lived, I did not stammer and started saying Fargo, North Dakota. When I returned home from a business trip, the airport felt familiar. Someone came up to me in the produce section to say hello because they remembered me from my frequent visits to the hair salon where they worked. I now had a doctor, a dentist, and a massage therapist. I had a favorite grocery store and a coffee shop.

Now, when I woke up, my bedroom did not feel like it is not mine. And walking into the kitchen to make coffee did not leave me wondering where the coffee and coffee cups were. I didn’t have to think about which drawer I needed to open for the silverware.

The day I purchased two 2022-2023 season tickets to the local Symphony Orchestra something really shifted. I had committed!

I think I am home now.

How do you make a place and a house your home? Tell me everything you want me to know!