Saturday, January 03, 2009
Home again, jiggety jig
As of 12:30 a.m. this morning, we're back in Charleston. While I still have a love-hate relationship with West Virginia, a great wave of joy washed over me when we entered our house. This is our place, that Nick and I have created together. I missed it greatly during our slightly-under-two-week vacation. I missed my space, and my books, and my kitchen laid out exactly as I want it. I'm so relieved.
This morning I've already been out to Pantera Bread Co. for a decaf and a bagel; deposited a check; stopped by the bookstore to check next week's schedule; and done a rudimentary grocery shopping trip for essentials. It's sunny and 39 degrees and it feels balmy. The world seems a bit brighter.
While we cut various portions of our trip short by about a day in either direction, it turned out to be what we needed in terms of duration. We decided to travel yesterday so that we'd have a full weekend at home before Nick & I start working again on Monday. After 2008, which was chock-full of crazy travel deadlines and too much driving, we decided to start out as we mean to go on this year: in a leisurely fashion. The weather was clear, and it was lovely to watch the outside temperature sensor start registering higher temps as we drove south and the car began to get better gas mileage.
Tomorrow we'll pick up the dog and our homecoming will be complete.
I needed time away, with family and friends, to refresh my perspective and make me want to be here again, and ready to work on the things I need to work on this year. We're not planning much travel this year, if we can help it - ya'll will just have to come visit us.
Minnesota has never been my home, despite family roots and fond memories of childhood visit to my beloved grandmother. Wisconsin is not my home anymore, although it's familiar and easy to be there, and not challenging to me the way West Virginia is. Madison is an all-you-can-eat buffet of delicious foods and people and bookstores, but I always eat too much of everything and end up sick, literally and figuratively. I'm sure I can't live there again.
I have this weird intense joy just watching the sunlight through the sunroom door.
So, 2009 can bring it.
¶ 9:19 AM
This morning I've already been out to Pantera Bread Co. for a decaf and a bagel; deposited a check; stopped by the bookstore to check next week's schedule; and done a rudimentary grocery shopping trip for essentials. It's sunny and 39 degrees and it feels balmy. The world seems a bit brighter.
While we cut various portions of our trip short by about a day in either direction, it turned out to be what we needed in terms of duration. We decided to travel yesterday so that we'd have a full weekend at home before Nick & I start working again on Monday. After 2008, which was chock-full of crazy travel deadlines and too much driving, we decided to start out as we mean to go on this year: in a leisurely fashion. The weather was clear, and it was lovely to watch the outside temperature sensor start registering higher temps as we drove south and the car began to get better gas mileage.
Tomorrow we'll pick up the dog and our homecoming will be complete.
I needed time away, with family and friends, to refresh my perspective and make me want to be here again, and ready to work on the things I need to work on this year. We're not planning much travel this year, if we can help it - ya'll will just have to come visit us.
Minnesota has never been my home, despite family roots and fond memories of childhood visit to my beloved grandmother. Wisconsin is not my home anymore, although it's familiar and easy to be there, and not challenging to me the way West Virginia is. Madison is an all-you-can-eat buffet of delicious foods and people and bookstores, but I always eat too much of everything and end up sick, literally and figuratively. I'm sure I can't live there again.
I have this weird intense joy just watching the sunlight through the sunroom door.
So, 2009 can bring it.
¶ 9:19 AM
