I hadn’t known until I sat outside how incredibly closed in I’d been feeling.

But when Emily and I sat outside reading on the lanai, it struck us both. There were no walls — either to keep us warm or to keep out the snow. The ceilings were very high because you wanted all the room you could get to circulate the air.

It was a slice of heaven. One day we sat looking at the ocean, and it is blue, blue, blue. Another day we were just sitting behind my cousin’s house. It started to rain. but it was so warm, and the space so deep that there didn’t seem to be any reason to wander in.

It may not be our vida local, but we were certainly working hard at appreciating and fitting into our hosts’ lives. We were looking to find the balance.

And then the tornado warnings started. It was quite a surprise. Although we’ve had a couple tornadoes in our area, it’s not something that you can expect your phone to suddenly start yelling about.

And we were lucky… everyone was, nothing really happened… but whoa… And yet… you do what is there, breathe in and breathe out. Peace and la vida local… wherever local is…