If I had my life to live over again, I wouldn’t change much.  I’d marry the same man, have the same children, etc.  However, I do have one regret: I have never lived in a foreign country.  

In just a week in Brazil, I got comfortable with hot water availability only in the shower.  In Seth’s little house, dishes actually did get clean with cold water and soap.  It took real concentration, but only once did I break the rule that says no toilet paper in the toilet itself.  In restaurants, servers bring a machine to the table that takes your credit card, so it is never out of your sight.  And there is no tipping.

I listen to Seth speak Portuguese like a native (Brazilians call his accent charming) while I can barely manage “thank you” and “excuse me”.  Seth’s friends welcome me (despite my being decades older) and mostly speak English when I am around. 

It is true that I’d rather my first-born didn’t spend half of each year 4,000 miles away, but I get why he does. 

Aren’t happy children what really matters?