it was this week TEN years ago that i made the move from IN to TN. how can it be? how has it been that long already? i've never lived anywhere for ten years. not ever. but if someone asks, i still say i'm from indiana. that's where i was born and where most of my family lives. but maybe it's time to start owning nashville as my "home"? i don't know. it's home. but it won't ever be where i'm "from".
nashville and i have a love/hate relationship. there are some days that i swear i'm leaving this town the first chance we get. it's a dirty, occasionally dangerous, icky city. i hate that nashville has some very backwards thinking people running the government. i can't stand the lack of recycling and the amount of litter and gross trash and dumping of LARGE items that seems to be tolerated. and it really bugs me that you can't find good public transportation, a clean dairy queen or sidewalks ANYWHERE!
but.... it's home. we have zero family in town. no one wanted to join us here. so we made our own. we have a circle of absolutely amazing friends. and while we don't get to see each other as often as i hope or like, we are all here for each other no matter what. over the years they've helped us move into apartments and our house, they were there for us when my dad was sick, when i was pregnant, when i lost my job, when we were low on money. for birthdays, bachelorette parties, graduations, births, weddings and 5ks - our sweet friends have been there. we've settled into a great church and while it's HUGE and a little overwhelming at times, we've created an amazing church family. there are times over the last 5 years i know we wouldn't have made it through without their love and support.
i also love that though nashville is a big city, it's really small. you can't go anywhere without running into someone you know. and there's one degree of seperation from you and anyone else you run in to - really. for instance at a friend's bday dinner a couple of weeks ago we ran in to my sweet college roomie's little brother. we chatted and then he went on his way. birthday girl leaned in and said how do you know him? and i told her and turns out that they will often play trivia together. who knew? and this sorta thing happens all the time. it makes a big city feel a little smaller. and at times more akward. b/c for real - you WILL run in to everyone at some point.
some other little things i love - we're smack in the middle of everything. in less than a days drive you can be at the ocean or mountains or at a major league baseball game. i love the seasons. we for sure have all four of them. i love that so many places around town have special memories or silly ones or even sad ones - but the last ten years have carried me all over this city.
ten years ago i was a 19 year old girl. i moved to nashville to go to college and it ended up i met my husband, bought our first home, lost a parent, stayed cancer free, became a mommy, served jury duty, went to countless shows, ran a race, marched for dimes, voiced a few commercials for the radio, witnessed flugtag, watched the city recover from floods and tornadoes, made life-long friends, bought a car, stood behind nicole kidman and keith urban in a bookstore, endured the great locust invasion of 2011, watched the events of 9/11 in a tiny dorm room, loved sweet bub when he lost his brother and learned to lay ceramic tiles.
we don't know if we'll stay here forever. nashville i hate you some times - but i love you more.
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