Mounting a Molehill
Things I will miss about the Queen City:
(By no means an exhaustive list.)
--Jerry & Alex, who are among the most supportive, genuine friends I've ever had, not to mention that they introduced me to...
--Dane, a fantastic roommate and person, and...
--The Bickersons, who are hysterical, fun, and kind, among other things; and don't forget...
--Carlton, who I haven't seen in ages but I love anyway.
--The rest of the Going Out Gays (Doug, Vince, Dennis, etc.).
--Erica. If I start writing about Erica right now, I will cry, so I am going to refrain.
--Thomas. Again with the waterworks.
--Being near Layla and Mo, even if I don't see them that often. Frankly, I will miss Mo's entire family, save Angelina, who I will definitely be visiting in NY.
--Jenna & Nick, who were so supportive when I first got down here, and the pub nights they organized.
--KJ, who feeds me, buys me wine, listens to me babble, and has the cutest dog.
--Lulu, the aforementioned dog, should probably have her own item.
--My neighborhood: Thomas Street, the Penguin, Nova's, Hawthorne's, Dish, the Common Market, Zada Jane's, all of the random vintage shops, walking to the HT, the Salvation Army, and spending far too much money on beautiful things at Pura Vida.
--Driving that one part of 277 where you can see the whole city lit up at night. I remember the first time I saw it with Mike, and it still makes me gasp a little bit.
--Mac and cheese from Dish. 'Nough said.
--Incredibly fruitful trips to the Goodwill and Salvation Army.
--Co-worker Danielle and the friendship we never fully explored. I'll miss her baby being born and growing up, but I'll be missing a lot of babies, it sounds like.
--Proximity to Asheville (I could make an entirely different list about Asheville itself, but we'll just say Rosetta's (!!!) and leave it at that).
--Having the boys stay at my house when they're on tour.
--Dim Sum, Mac's, Creation, Meskerem Ethiopian Cuisine, Sir Edmond Halley's, CABO FISH TACO, Toast, Nikko's, etc. All the great restaurants here in CLT.
--Liasons evenings, always good for my ego.
--House/theme parties on Lamar.
--Michael J. and his beautiful daughter.
--Daydreaming about a tattoo from Hayley at Immortal Images (this is still going to happen, however, because I am going to make it happen).
--Crowder's Mountain.
--Roadtrips to Stone Mountain, the Smokies, TN, etc. Granted, I already miss those things because I did them with Mike, but I will still miss them.
--My easy but enjoyable job and the steady paycheck it affords me.
--Hot Bartender. Ohhh, I will miss Hot Bartender so much.
--Southern accents and Southern cooking.
--The way Spring arrives much earlier than up north.
--Being a mere 4-hour drive away from Tay (though she won't be there much longer anyway).
--My current co-workers and their generosity, support, and general welcoming attitude.
--Getting out of work for 1-2" of snow.
--Dilworth Coffee.
--The entire NoDa neighborhood, really, even though I can never afford to buy anything there.
--Making fun of Creative Loafing.
--Driving through the mountains.
--The possibility of future clothing swaps with the knitting girls + friends.
--Knitting with Erica. Drinking wine with Erica. Talking with Erica. BAH!
--Mini-roadtrips (sometimes with friends) to H&H shows that are within a 3-4 hour radius.
All I wanted for a long time was to get the hell out of here, it was so urgent, and I felt it even when I was with Mike those last few months. I've always seen the brighter side, sure, and I could have made this list a million times in the two years I've lived here. But now it's real, now it's imminent. Now I have 35 days to enjoy these things and these people and I know that time is going to fly by. That is the blink of an eye -- packed, loaded, driving... home? I don't know. I don't know where home is anymore, beyond me and my cat and my things. I'm excited for the opportunities, for the adventure, but I'm definitely going to mourn the little life I had here.
And that's the problem, isn't it? A "little life." I was only going to grow so big in Charlotte -- and I feel as though I'm meant to grow very, very tall. I limited myself in coming here. Yes, there was a purpose to it. There were lessons I needed to learn. But the biggest one of all is that I'll never again limit myself for a person the way I did for Mike. I won't move to a place where I can't see myself thriving (though thrive I have, in spite of it all), I won't sacrifice my dreams, I won't allow another's hopes, needs, values, and desires to take precedent over my own. I won't settle for only give and never take ever again.
The day I drive away, I'll have lived in Charlotte for 629 days. That's probably equal to the number of lessons I'm taking with me, far less than the number of times I've laughed, and far greater than the number of times I've cried. For that, the Queen City will always have a special nook in my heart.
In other news, look out City of Brotherly Love -- here I come, and I plan to wreak havoc.
(By no means an exhaustive list.)
--Jerry & Alex, who are among the most supportive, genuine friends I've ever had, not to mention that they introduced me to...
--Dane, a fantastic roommate and person, and...
--The Bickersons, who are hysterical, fun, and kind, among other things; and don't forget...
--Carlton, who I haven't seen in ages but I love anyway.
--The rest of the Going Out Gays (Doug, Vince, Dennis, etc.).
--Erica. If I start writing about Erica right now, I will cry, so I am going to refrain.
--Thomas. Again with the waterworks.
--Being near Layla and Mo, even if I don't see them that often. Frankly, I will miss Mo's entire family, save Angelina, who I will definitely be visiting in NY.
--Jenna & Nick, who were so supportive when I first got down here, and the pub nights they organized.
--KJ, who feeds me, buys me wine, listens to me babble, and has the cutest dog.
--Lulu, the aforementioned dog, should probably have her own item.
--My neighborhood: Thomas Street, the Penguin, Nova's, Hawthorne's, Dish, the Common Market, Zada Jane's, all of the random vintage shops, walking to the HT, the Salvation Army, and spending far too much money on beautiful things at Pura Vida.
--Driving that one part of 277 where you can see the whole city lit up at night. I remember the first time I saw it with Mike, and it still makes me gasp a little bit.
--Mac and cheese from Dish. 'Nough said.
--Incredibly fruitful trips to the Goodwill and Salvation Army.
--Co-worker Danielle and the friendship we never fully explored. I'll miss her baby being born and growing up, but I'll be missing a lot of babies, it sounds like.
--Proximity to Asheville (I could make an entirely different list about Asheville itself, but we'll just say Rosetta's (!!!) and leave it at that).
--Having the boys stay at my house when they're on tour.
--Dim Sum, Mac's, Creation, Meskerem Ethiopian Cuisine, Sir Edmond Halley's, CABO FISH TACO, Toast, Nikko's, etc. All the great restaurants here in CLT.
--Liasons evenings, always good for my ego.
--House/theme parties on Lamar.
--Michael J. and his beautiful daughter.
--Daydreaming about a tattoo from Hayley at Immortal Images (this is still going to happen, however, because I am going to make it happen).
--Crowder's Mountain.
--Roadtrips to Stone Mountain, the Smokies, TN, etc. Granted, I already miss those things because I did them with Mike, but I will still miss them.
--My easy but enjoyable job and the steady paycheck it affords me.
--Hot Bartender. Ohhh, I will miss Hot Bartender so much.
--Southern accents and Southern cooking.
--The way Spring arrives much earlier than up north.
--Being a mere 4-hour drive away from Tay (though she won't be there much longer anyway).
--My current co-workers and their generosity, support, and general welcoming attitude.
--Getting out of work for 1-2" of snow.
--Dilworth Coffee.
--The entire NoDa neighborhood, really, even though I can never afford to buy anything there.
--Making fun of Creative Loafing.
--Driving through the mountains.
--The possibility of future clothing swaps with the knitting girls + friends.
--Knitting with Erica. Drinking wine with Erica. Talking with Erica. BAH!
--Mini-roadtrips (sometimes with friends) to H&H shows that are within a 3-4 hour radius.
All I wanted for a long time was to get the hell out of here, it was so urgent, and I felt it even when I was with Mike those last few months. I've always seen the brighter side, sure, and I could have made this list a million times in the two years I've lived here. But now it's real, now it's imminent. Now I have 35 days to enjoy these things and these people and I know that time is going to fly by. That is the blink of an eye -- packed, loaded, driving... home? I don't know. I don't know where home is anymore, beyond me and my cat and my things. I'm excited for the opportunities, for the adventure, but I'm definitely going to mourn the little life I had here.
And that's the problem, isn't it? A "little life." I was only going to grow so big in Charlotte -- and I feel as though I'm meant to grow very, very tall. I limited myself in coming here. Yes, there was a purpose to it. There were lessons I needed to learn. But the biggest one of all is that I'll never again limit myself for a person the way I did for Mike. I won't move to a place where I can't see myself thriving (though thrive I have, in spite of it all), I won't sacrifice my dreams, I won't allow another's hopes, needs, values, and desires to take precedent over my own. I won't settle for only give and never take ever again.
The day I drive away, I'll have lived in Charlotte for 629 days. That's probably equal to the number of lessons I'm taking with me, far less than the number of times I've laughed, and far greater than the number of times I've cried. For that, the Queen City will always have a special nook in my heart.
In other news, look out City of Brotherly Love -- here I come, and I plan to wreak havoc.