Where I live now is nothing like where I grew up, but every now and then, when I least expect it, I'll notice something that takes me back. It might be the smell of a horse stable or an old rusty car (I'm not joking, these are the smells I grew up with), but it just hits me and I long for home.
There is one thing that I count on every year to "bring me back" to my childhood:
The community fireworks display.
The excitement, the friends, the smells, the music, the sense of community, (the flirting teenagers)...It reminds me of a high school football game.
Simple things like these give me comfort as I navigate my way through my "new" life (marriage, kids, responsibility, etc). They remind me of who I am...or was? They remind me of where I came from. They help me stay grounded in a place that doesn't always feel like "home".
And so I look forward to the 4th of July each year. It's my hometown "fix"--one of my favorite holidays. I reminisce; I live it up...and then I move on.
Afterall, I'm pretty busy living (and loving) this new chapter in my life.
1 comment:
next year, i vow to see fireworks. i'm am an "early to bed" person and can never get up the gusto to go watch the last two years! so sad, i know...
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