I submitted a story for a new Chicken Soup for the Soul series. We shall see, but I feel it has a strong chance. What are you doing today to make your deepest, sweetest dream come true? Just one step a day, one action a day, could bring your great dream to life!
Friday, May 16, 2014
We recently moved to Franklin, Georgia, from Lake Worth, a small beach town in South Florida. My oldest daughter, Zoe, is 21 and elected to stay in Lake Worth. I am happy for her, and I know she made the right decision, but my heart breaks every day when I think of her. I miss her so much it literally hurts. She is an artist, a surfer, and is getting scuba diving training. She is also attending the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and will eventually be a health coach. This town we moved to...my daughters Chloe, 17, and Caroline,15, and I...is a town even smaller than Lake Worth. It is a quiet little town, postcard-sized, and I have no idea about the crime rate. We discovered a Mexican restaurant, Loco Rio, which serves inexpensive traditional Mexican fare (my favorite are the corn tortilla tacos) overlooking a broad river. I have found the post office, the Piggly Wiggly, the Family Dollar store, and Heard County High School. Oh, I also saw a tiny vet's office.
We are finding our way here. I like the sweetness of the people, the peace and quiet where we now live, and the green, green, of the trees and grass and bushes everywhere. I have traded palm trees and white sand for pine trees and red mud, and there is some comfort in knowing that I can appreciate them both for their individual appeals.
Chloe is having a harder time. She misses the noise and energy and movement of Lake Worth, where she wore halter tops and short shorts and walked to the beach every day and downtown every night. She misses the outdoor music, the weekly street dances and little shops open to stroll by, or through. She misses her sister Zoe, as do I. She yearns for that stimulation. She feels suffocated here, powerless and bored. I pray every single day for God to help her to find her own path here, just as she found it in Florida.
Caroline is adjusting to a new school. It isn't easy, and we may need to find a different county for next year. She is doing it, though, and keeping disciplined. She is happier here than she was in Florida, where she disliked the grittiness of the sand, and the unchanging temperature and sunshine. She is becoming grounded here, and I see that she is taking root, a small plant absorbing the new soil and locking in.
We shall see. What is our place here? I don't know yet but I will...someday.
We are finding our way here. I like the sweetness of the people, the peace and quiet where we now live, and the green, green, of the trees and grass and bushes everywhere. I have traded palm trees and white sand for pine trees and red mud, and there is some comfort in knowing that I can appreciate them both for their individual appeals.
Chloe is having a harder time. She misses the noise and energy and movement of Lake Worth, where she wore halter tops and short shorts and walked to the beach every day and downtown every night. She misses the outdoor music, the weekly street dances and little shops open to stroll by, or through. She misses her sister Zoe, as do I. She yearns for that stimulation. She feels suffocated here, powerless and bored. I pray every single day for God to help her to find her own path here, just as she found it in Florida.
Caroline is adjusting to a new school. It isn't easy, and we may need to find a different county for next year. She is doing it, though, and keeping disciplined. She is happier here than she was in Florida, where she disliked the grittiness of the sand, and the unchanging temperature and sunshine. She is becoming grounded here, and I see that she is taking root, a small plant absorbing the new soil and locking in.
We shall see. What is our place here? I don't know yet but I will...someday.
I love owls. Funny, cute, colorful ones, mainly, thus my play on words for the name of this blog: Owltlet. It is going to be my unique space for venting, sharing, grousing, praising...just being real, and open, and honest with you. My outlet. My owltlet! Feel free to jump right in and share along with me...we are in for a ride!
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