culture shock

Culture (reentry) shock is feeling
    lost
like a child
    strange
misunderstood
    unknown
odd
     on the outside
different
     like an observer
small
     but stick out like a sore thumb
quiet
     but have a lot to say
funny
     but not haha funny
exhausted from trying hard
     out of sync
homesick
     in a time warp
teary
     grief

but there is beauty
in being an outsider
seeing what no one else sees anymore
with new eyes
able to be a learner
appreciate all that you do have
reconnecting with yourself
and with your Creator
making room for new things
new people
and the humility that comes
in not knowing how things are done here
and having to ask
and be a little off
sometimes when we are strangers
we actually remember the truth of what matters
not "fitting in"
but caring about people
and making room for others to feel safe
to take off their masks
and confess that they too don't have it all figured out!