It's good to be home--my flight was delayed, but I got back in time to sleep in my own bed on Friday night. Saturday morning I grabbed my boots, my dog, and my brother's camera and ventured outside for a hike in single-digit temperatures. While Rohan ran ahead, I snapped a few pictures and enjoyed some fresh air. I like experiencing the contrast between living in a metropolitan area like Baltimore versus a rural environment like Dexter. They each have their own advantages and opportunities--deep down, though, I think I'm more of a small-town girl.
When I come home I am reminded of the importance of tradition, of community, and of fellowship. It's a feeling that is hard to articulate to someone who has never experienced the spectacle of hunting season; who has never heard of a buck pole or been to a cider mill; who has never fished off a dock; who has never woken up one morning and known it was springtime solely because of the strong smell of manure hanging in the air. There's a sense of comfort living in a place where you can have a conversation with the bag lady at the grocery store and she's not rushing to get to the next person in line. I love going to school in Baltimore, but I think I'm starting to appreciate the people and places of my past more now that I've been away. It's a deep respect and reverence that I can't deny, no matter how much I think I've changed. The experiences I've had growing up in the Midwest are ones that I'm grateful for, because they've given me a rooted confidence and sense of peace wherever I go. Sounds pretty cheesy, I know, but nostalgia has a tendency to evoke cliches.
I'll be home for a month, so look forward to posts on the finished mural in my basement and the start of a collaborate project with my room mate Rachel:
http://threadedletters.wordpress.com/ as well as images from the semester's final projects...
