Hey y’all!
So I initially wrote this to send to close friends & family back home. But after considering who I was going to send this message to, I thought “what if I post this as a blog?”
A teammate affirmed my thought and said there could be parents or racers and friends of racers that could benefit from it, too. Yes share it. So-here it is.
If you get a notification & a personal email, I really want you to know where I’m at (or at least think I’m at). 🙂 Thank you!! Massive love!!
//
Hey!
So in less than 2 weeks I’ll be in the States again.
Crazy.
I have been encouraged to let fam&friends know what I need & what I expect and to communicate it before I’m there. So here’s what I’ve come up with!
What I want, need & expect
1. Straight away I will need sleep & rest & quiet alone time. Our travels back to the States consists of 2 airplanes, 1 layover, 30 ish hours of travel and that’s just to NY. I then have another layover and another 3 hours of flight.
2. I’ll think of stories & such to share as the days come. So please ask questions but be prepared for me to say “I don’t know, I’ll get back to you on that.” Expect random memories/stories at random times.
3. Grace grace grace. Understand that I haven’t fully processed everything. So if you ask questions like “How have you changed? Where have you seen the most growth in yourself?” I will be like a deer in headlights. I ask for grace & patience in my process.
4. I want the typical questions, but be creative in your question asking 🙂 for example “who impacted you the most with their story and will you share it with us?”
5. I want to know about your year! I will do my best to think of creative questions, as well.
6. Let me make you food, I have missed cooking.
7. But also, feed me. Haha!
8. I need hugs
9. I need encouragement
10. I need ears to listen. I don’t always want you to have an answer, perhaps that’s what I need to communicate “hey can I have your ear to listen?”
11. Quiet alone time. (hours and/or days)
12. I need & expect space to rest. I have no idea how jet lag will set in, so please let me sleep whenever I end up sleeping. If I don’t let you know I’m going to sleep, let this be the “hey I’m going to sleep” forewarning.
13. Emotional breakdowns. Haha! This is a joke/not a joke. I’ve had more of these this year than I expected & I can only expect them to spring up on me again.
14. I am a mess. An emotional mess. Most of the time, I don’t know what I need. So if you ask I won’t know- usually it will be alone time and an encounter w/Papa.
15. Texts, FaceTime, phone calls! I’ll be able to use a phone again anytime! If you want to call me, please do! If I don’t contact you & you want to hangout or talk or hear about the year but think I am too busy, here’s my invitation. I give you permission to contact me. I won’t have a job when I return so I will have free time & will welcome you. I will try my best to initiate but I’m also giving you permission to initiate. 🙂
16. Coffee dates, hangout, movies, normal things- I still love these things very much!
17. You to invite me over 🙂 or I’ll invite myself over. Haha!
18. Quality time with you.
19. Let me come grocery shopping, let’s go for a walk, I’ll clean your house with you, let me buy you coffee, catch up.
Really I’m just asking for more grace & patience in this transition please! I’ll do my best to extend it to you as well.
20. Prayer! How could I forget this one. I still need it!
