Middle of the Night Musings

It was a little over a year ago now that my Favie and I had just set out on an adventure to find whatever it was that we were searching for at the time. I'm not sure I knew what I was looking for then, nor do I necessarily know what it was now. I just knew that I wanted to experience life elsewhere: somewhere different, somewhere new, somewhere exciting. I wanted to be outside of my comfort zone, so that I could learn something about myself that I might not have known. And I wanted to grow as a person in whatever way that I could: intellectually, psychologically, and socially. I found all that and more during the seven months I lived in Boston, MA.

The time that I spent in Boston and the things that I learned about myself and the world around me, are now forever ingrained in the countless memories and musings that my mind happily revisits almost every day. What's interesting is now that we have returned to Atlanta, I seem to be experiencing this city in a whole new way.

As a 27 year old, I figure this is the 26th fall season I have lived in Georgia, and the 20th I have lived in Atlanta. And honestly, I really can't remember a time when the trees here have been more beautiful. It seems that going away for a year has really enabled me to appreciate the good things about Atlanta that I had ceased to notice after living here all my life.

Driving along the winding, tree-lined streets of my commute to Emory has really become something that I take great pleasure in. I'm sure in years past, I would have thought of the same drive to work as a necessary evil. But over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed the trees bursting forth with more color than I ever remember. It reminds me of the drives we took last fall in New England, discovering the place we would soon grow to love. And now, as I drive along on a clear day in Atlanta, I take in the brilliant hues of red, orange, and yellow, streaming along the road beside me. I then reminisce on my time in Boston, and I am warmed inside as I smile to myself, remembering the place that I will always think of fondly. Maybe I just needed to find the joy of something new and different, to rediscover what I could have found here all along.