Why did it take me so long to get back on track with my writing? A: Life, B: Laziness, C: Introspection, D: Fear, E: All of the above. Again, please tell me, does it really matter?
My plan was to come home and recap the trip before it all became a dream. I wanted to tell you all the little details, like...the food...the incredible thrift store finds...just a summation of the trip, as a whole. But now, it is becoming more and more, as my son warned, like a dream. What did we eat and where did we eat it? Lots of Mexican food...the dinner at the Afghanistan restaurant in San Francisco...the ribs in Memphis...the Arby's turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread...the yogurt parfaits from...OMG...are you ready???..McDonalds!! So...looking back, what we ate and where we ate it...please tell me, does it really matter?
The thrift stores were incredible...big finds with labels like j.jill and Eileen Fisher and some that may come from other big name fashion folks, but how would I know? It's all about the fun of finding good prices...fun and funky clothes you just don't find around here. So...please tell me, does anything else really matter? Who cares what the label says or what the cost was...I liked them and they were cheap! End of story.
It's hard to know quite where to go from here. I'm home and things are back to normal and that's good, right? The part of me who loves home and hearth...well, we don't really have a hearth...but, does that really matter? We have a deck! So, it's very fine to be back to home and deck. It feels safe and secure and, here, I know I am loved by hubby and dog and despite the mosquitoes, I really do love it here....and oh how I do love them.
But...I have to admit that my spirit does not rest for long...it still meanders. My brother, Tim, from Charlotte, was visiting with us this week and a couple days ago we rode the ferry to Southport. I love that ferry ride...it's like a mini cruise..only better, because I don't get seasick.
We walked through the beautiful little town of Southport and had lunch at Trolly Stop....hot dog heaven...they even have veggie dogs. From there, we walked down to the river, sat down on one of the swings and just watched life rolling by. I felt like I could have sat in that swing and watched that river for the rest of my life. The longer I sat there, the more my meandering spirit took hold and I realized that this meandering Cape Fear River was singing my song. It was just going wherever it was meant to be and it was in no hurry to get there. A gypsy kind of river.
So, now, my brother is gone back to Charlotte and I'm right back here at home and deck. The Tarheel game is getting ready to come on...Dave's back there eating dinner on the TV tray and listening to the pre-game chatter...Sadie's chomping on her dinner treat and I'm drinking wine and chowing down on my veggie burger. And...somewhere out there...in this beautiful country of ours...is a quaint, little motel calling my name....
