Southern Nostalgia

I think it's the weather. And also feeling a bit busy (there's a lot going on here). And maybe also hearing from old friends. But I am definitely missing Mississippi.

It's kind of strange that I would, because those two years were probably 2 of the hardest of my life. I was far far away from family. I had a job that was really not a good match with me, which I was so stressed about I couldn't do the work to succeed at it (and ultimately did not succeed, quite dramatically), was quite depressed and anxious for a lot of the time, felt isolated and foreign and not understood, and left feeling like my life was not working in most important ways.

But well ... Mississippi was WARM. Warm for months and months and months. Warm all evening; all night. So warm you couldn't camp out in a tent in summer or you'd suffocate. Wearing tank tops most of the year warm. Blissfully warm!

And lush. You might not realize it, but forestry was one of the major industries on which Mississippi was built. And they still have lots of trees. And rivers, which I was fortunate enough to have a guide for. And riverbeds you could walk in. Warm.

And cool accents and a kind of diversity you don't experience here in Kelowna (one of the least diverse cities in Canada). Cool music and local groups I went to hear (okay, in smoky venues. Something I don't miss). But um ... it was warm enough, and close enough, that I did go out, a lot, to experience the cultural events in Jackson.

And I did neat things there. I took a sculpture class for 6 months and worked in clay, hand modeling (fun fun fun!!!). I helped friends organize and de-clutter their homes (awesome, amazing!). I got to visit some small and old and cool towns around the state (oh, and the history! Wonderful). I wandered on walks around my neighbourhood, which I miss a lot. I shopped regularly at second hand stores. I lived through a major hurricane.

And I had a car, highways, a cell phone and cheap gas. I could travel and see places, and though I could have done more, I did. I was mobile, active, connected and free.

And it was warm. I don't think I can underestimate this. Life in a semi-tropical region felt exotic and full of life in a way that life in the cold though lovely north can't reproduce for all its charms.

Missing Mississippi, though I'm very glad to be here too.