Bye, Dave

It is unusual to begin any story with a farewell, but that is how some of the most interesting adventures start.

After a weekend spent living multiple personalities, alternately desiring the clock to speed up or slow down, the morning still came.

At 4:30am, everything changed. For Dave at least. Because he is now in Mexico, not as a traveler or tourist, but as a resident. He will spend the next days and weeks making a life for us there. And while I'm trying to convince many people that little in my life has changed, it seems that I'll have to convince myself first. The silence in the house speaks volumes. For each moment of silence is another moment closer to the next farewell:
Good-bye, family.
Good-bye, community.
Good-bye, America.

Of course, this adventure is but one chapter in an ever-evolving saga, but it is shaping up to be more intriguing, more challenging, more suspenseful, and more purposeful than we planned.
And while it is unusual to begin with good-bye, I hope to continue the story until the greeting when we return.
Hello, home.