What a weekend it's been, and continues to be, in my case. My in-laws had a foreign exchange student living with them some years ago, and this weekend she and her now-fiance have come to visit us for a week. They hail from Germany, and they have been just so fun, and it has been great to get to know them! Our experiences so far have included hiking a steep trail to a fantastic cave with an equally fantastic tour guide, walking around and shopping at a local (very big) farmer's market, getting In-N-Out Burger, and just relaxing around the house. The caves I particularly enjoyed, that was a great day. The day we explored the farmer's market... well... let's just say a combination of tired feet, a hot sun, worse-than-usual seasonal allergies, followed by a gnarly sunburn did not help to the satisfaction of the day's experiences. Nor did slamming the back of my head on a couch leg, but that was certainly my own fault. Still, these experiences have been quite fun! In fact, we just came back from a backyard dinner, where the taco soup was delicious, the citronella torches and candles made the scene both mosquito free and atmospheric, and the subtle hint of rain, just before coming inside after dusk made everything feel much like a perfect summer night in paradise.
Besides that, I also had the opportunity to catch up with my niece, who is still not yet 2, but has learned a few basic words, and loves to play and observe. She is such a charm. But other than that, it's been another week, mostly. One interesting thing occurred, actually, come to think of it. If you read these posts, you'll know that, when it comes to networking and electronics, I'm frankly a nut, for how invested I am and for how much fun it is for me. I don't bring it up as a bragging point, but I have a home network setup that would make some other amateurs look like simpletons, for how much is going on, here. Perhaps part of the insanity of it is due to the fact that with the setup I have going, it would be crazy enough to see it in a regular household, let alone the apartment where I live. As of now, I have three access points setup (truly, one covers far more than enough area, but again, I'm crazy).
I give this preface, to establish the irony of what follows. Here I am, well versed and surrounded by network technology; and my wife casually mentions she doesn't usually connect to our Wi-fi, because it's slower than just her cell signal. Naturally, I'm rather floored at this. Howbeit that I have been so enveloped in learning and experimenting with so many technologies and concepts, and yet I have neglected the main reason that people have internet in their homes. It took an hour or two of tweaking and troubleshooting to discover not one but at least a couple of big problems that were causing slow internet in general, and especially over our Wi-fi.
I mention this, partly because of the humorous irony, but partly also as a reminder of our potential to make the same mistake Rome made. Don't get so preoccupied with focusing outward, that you forget to tend to the most important things- those matters within the walls of your own home. I say this mainly to myself, because (as you now see), I have a tendency to do so, at times. The same principle happens in terms of familiarity. We often remind ourselves to be gracious and kind to strangers, but when we deal with those closest to us, we might treat them like lesser people, or even villains. This is a generalization, of course; but think about your life; are there areas in which you have fortified outwardly, but have as of yet failed to strengthen your center?
Until next week, enjoy some of the most beautiful weeks of weather we get around these parts!