The grass is always greener

"You can't have your cake & eat it too."

This phrase has always bothered me, even though it is very common in the States. Why would I buy cake if I wasn't going to eat it? Isn't that what you are supposed to do with cake? Obviously you can have your cake & eat it too...right?

Lately, I don't think that's the case. I've finally realized what people mean when they use that phrase & several recent examples in my life have made it relevant.

A few days ago, I was sitting at the dinner table with a bunch of people from other countries talking about anything & everything, when the subject of University education came up. In the US, we always complain about the cost of college. It's incredibly expensive to go & I know so many people who are going to be paying off loans forever. So I've always been envious of countries where university is paid for by the government. However, my friends from those countries expressed the opposite view. "Why should everyone's tax money go to a person's education, when it is only advantageous to that person to continue their education?" they argued. & it makes people expect free college, so they are less motivated to get through. I'd never really thought about those problems, but they are valid nonetheless. You have to choose which system to use though - you can't have the benefits of both systems. No eating that cake!

Even more close to my heart, is my home. Lately, lots of things have been going on in the US that make me really want to be home, & surrounded by my family & friends. Don't get me wrong - I love France & this adventure that I'm on. But while you're away, you miss things. Big things, small things, people things. It doesn't matter - people grow up while you're gone, they change. Even worse than that, for me, they might really need you & find you're not there. I've always prided myself on being there for the people that are closest to me. Even being across the country, I managed to remain a part of my friend's lives in Buffalo. But there are some oceans that are too wide to cross (quite literally) & it's a lot harder to bridge the gap in a different country. When you're off exploring, things back home are changing, whether you like it or not. & when you return, neither will be the same.