Our family lived in a simple but nice home, out on the edge of town, on a large lot with beautiful fruit trees and views of the mountains. I remember my parents would play Johnny Cash and Ray Conniff records on the hi-fi. We had the most amazing family dog, a German Shepherd named Prince. And even though I was sick a lot with asthma, I really think I had a golden life. So I thought it would be nice to go back and see my old house on Willow, the place of my earliest childhood memories.
It turns out, a short visit was all I needed. The house is still there, but it's no longer on the edge of town. And people don't live there anymore.
Now, it's the "Hair Shack."
"Shack?" Really?!
But wait, there's more. My old bedroom is now the part of the "shack" where you go for a pedicure.Adjoining the house...er, shack, is a pizza parlor.
Oh brother.
But, as I turned around to see where our fruit trees once stood, there it was....
....Cup O' Joe!
With a cyclist at the drive thru!
Yes, this is home after all!
2 comments:
I love this post!
Ten years ago, while in Philly for graduate studies, I took a trip to NYC and found the first apartment I'd ever lived in, in Kew Gardens. As a child I remember it being unbelievably huge. When I went back as an adult the building felt a little smaller, and not just because the trees are all so much taller, either.
It's amazing to go back and realize you can only "go back" so far -- and in doing so, you see how far you've come.
I know! Tonight I was in the neighborhood of one of my later childhood homes...where'd that big hill go? They managed to put a little tiny slope in its place! Our perspective changes, for sure. Ironically, I like the new perspectives that come along with age. :)
Thanks for shoutin' out, Beth. I look foward to seeing you again sometime!
Post a Comment