every single time i come home, i think of patty griffin’s song called florida. like her voice, it’s haunting and beautiful all at once. she sings:
A couple of young girls went
Sailing down A1A
Into the arms of Florida
Sailing down a highway
Singing their heads off
Protected by the holy ghosts
Flying in the ocean
Driving with their eyes close
this song and these lyrics makes me miss my years as a teenager and young 20 something year old living here in northern florida. i was young, free, vibrant. my girlfriends and i drove all over this state in search of ourselves, in search of adventure. we took long road trips, twirled in each other’s rooms, made one another mix tapes. we danced and walked arm and arm, toe to toe, and were fiercely protective of one another and of our youth. time was suspended in those years before we moved to various cities, went our seperate ways, and grew up. but i loved those years of girlhood, of lazy summer days with my friends, of freedom, of endless roadtrips, of oceanside romps and dance parties.
(it’s unusually COLD here in northern florida which gave me a great excuse to where my new lovely hat that was gifted to me over the holidays)
earlier today i was, in fact, driving down A1A on my way to see one of my oldest bffs when i thought of that song and when the memories came flooding. this is where i was born, where i was raised, where i went to college, where my heart was broken, where i met john, where i got my courage to go and explore and move 3000 miles away. and it’s where i return to see my parents and get grounded.
this has been a wonderful few days home. i really needed it.
(my parents – aren’t they cute?)
last nite, as i was having a bout of insomnia, john and i had a conversation that left me feeling anew when i woke up this morning. there is a pressure i’ve been carrying around and this trip and that conversation lifted it for me in real and permanent ways. i’m so thankful.
in between lounging, putt putt games with my in-laws, movies, creative spurts with my mom, and long hot baths, i’ve been eating my southern favorites including cheese grits, bbq, and sweet tea. life is good 🙂
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