The messy trajectory of my trip back to the USA was reminiscent of a tourist's jaunt through a new country. From NYC to Charlotte, D.C. to Baltimore, to Athens, GA and back to Charlotte again. Not to mention another leg to NYC, and then to Chicago & Istanbul & the lovely Karoo. But with grad schools in mind, dropping Susannah off at Georgetown in D.C. afforded me the opportunity to visit Baltimore to see MICA. And Charlotte's proximity to Georgia also gave me good reason to check out UGA in Athens.
With all this driving back and forth, I still managed to squeeze in a lot. The problem with visiting is you can never say "no" to anything, so my calendar was choc a bloc full! I managed to trek to a couple of bountiful Mt.Holly Farmers Markets and to feel completely swooned by the response of folks missing me over the last year. I was able to attend the small town wedding of Leah & Josh and dance my heart away with Bailey Kaylor (age 8) and my aunts. I had the opportunity to see Rachel Schleicher's new diving moves and to spend Father's Day with my dad. Any maybe best of all, I witnessed my childhood bestfriend cradling her newborn.
Staying with mom, we were able to make good use of our time together, with picnic lunches at her job. Honestly, even mowing the lawn felt like a beautiful, fruitful activity! And Dad and I managed a good ride on the old bikes. For a first, my mom was able to join some family in Mt. Holly & it made my heart swell to have some of my favorite faces mixing around a table again. Time does heal, but it takes some really furtive effort as well.
It's a proud life people live in this part. Everyone trying to make the best out of what they do, to believe in how they spend their hours, to work towards larger community and to love the families they've created over time. It is a Southern fantasy, an American dream of sorts, all woven with the realities of uncertain incomes, familial rifts, the monotony of tired feet, and the aching need to fill the void left at the end of the day.
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