Country Mouse Comes Home
I've just returned (complete with winter cold/flu symptoms, thankyouverymuch) from my annual holiday visit home (or at least to the same general area as what I once referred to as "home" prior to leaving for college) and I have never been more happy to see Silver Spring, Maryland as I was tonight.
I really missed my mom. And I really missed my dad. And I really missed my grandma. And I really missed my aunt. And the dogs; missed them too. (And my friend P., I missed him the most, but that's another post). I split all these things up rather than list them together, because that is precisely how I miss them- as individual entities. I do not miss the large family Christmas Eve dinner and midnight service, the trashed living room on Christmas morning, the gray gray gray and the wet wet wet of the whole state, etc. What I do miss is sitting around yakking with my dad about Wal-Mart and the Bengals, explaining various pop culture phenomena to my grandmother, laughing and being cynical with my aunt, and just generally getting some mom time with my mother. I missed each of these things individually, without family drama, local gossip, or snide remarks under our breaths to taint the season, which has been my experience for the past few years.
My one on one time with these people is what I miss the most, not being in Ohio. I don't know that I would consider myself a proper "City Girl" just yet, but I have certainly grown out of Ohio, the land of oppression. I much prefer the convenience of being able to get whatever I need (groceries, ride to work, haircut, etc.) whenever I need it. In Dayton, you have to wait for things to be open (because there was maybe, A Gas Station open on the day after christmas in the whole state), travel there via gas guzzler, find a parking spot and then turn around and do the whole routine over again to get back home. I like that tomorrow I am going to mail a package, buy a vacuum cleaner and go grocery shopping all on my own time, without waiting for a ride or for someone to help me. I am significantly more independent in the city, and I like that I live here because of that.
I flew in to Dulles (ugh) this evening and looked out over the sparkly, busy city and thought, for the first time in a while, "It's good to be home." I pass the Washington Monument on the way to work and feel so lucky to think "You live and work here." I never hated Ohio while I was there, and it isn't fair to say that I hate it there now, but I have surely found something that has inspired me far more than anything (outside of my family) has in quite some time.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. (or "more fond" as they say in english)
I really missed my mom. And I really missed my dad. And I really missed my grandma. And I really missed my aunt. And the dogs; missed them too. (And my friend P., I missed him the most, but that's another post). I split all these things up rather than list them together, because that is precisely how I miss them- as individual entities. I do not miss the large family Christmas Eve dinner and midnight service, the trashed living room on Christmas morning, the gray gray gray and the wet wet wet of the whole state, etc. What I do miss is sitting around yakking with my dad about Wal-Mart and the Bengals, explaining various pop culture phenomena to my grandmother, laughing and being cynical with my aunt, and just generally getting some mom time with my mother. I missed each of these things individually, without family drama, local gossip, or snide remarks under our breaths to taint the season, which has been my experience for the past few years.
My one on one time with these people is what I miss the most, not being in Ohio. I don't know that I would consider myself a proper "City Girl" just yet, but I have certainly grown out of Ohio, the land of oppression. I much prefer the convenience of being able to get whatever I need (groceries, ride to work, haircut, etc.) whenever I need it. In Dayton, you have to wait for things to be open (because there was maybe, A Gas Station open on the day after christmas in the whole state), travel there via gas guzzler, find a parking spot and then turn around and do the whole routine over again to get back home. I like that tomorrow I am going to mail a package, buy a vacuum cleaner and go grocery shopping all on my own time, without waiting for a ride or for someone to help me. I am significantly more independent in the city, and I like that I live here because of that.
I flew in to Dulles (ugh) this evening and looked out over the sparkly, busy city and thought, for the first time in a while, "It's good to be home." I pass the Washington Monument on the way to work and feel so lucky to think "You live and work here." I never hated Ohio while I was there, and it isn't fair to say that I hate it there now, but I have surely found something that has inspired me far more than anything (outside of my family) has in quite some time.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. (or "more fond" as they say in english)
posted by Megan at
11:40 PM
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