There is no “after this” left (as in, “after this, we are moving.”) We are moving. Friday.
Actually, I’m going to be the last one out the door. By the time I get to Birmingham, the rest of the family will have already moved. Their stuff won’t be there yet, but they will. I’ll get several days of automotive mediation with the weight of our possessions behind me.
It hit me yesterday, when we got back from Splash Country. No, I did not take pictures at Splash Country. I think they might frown on a middle aged guy with a digital SLR snapping pics. But when I got back, I realized that the next big thing we had to do is move. There is no other big thing waiting. I almost cried in Target. Then I bought some ravioli.
There is the bit about getting tattooed this afternoon. That’s no big thing though. Not anymore. I have been contemplating a new tattoo for some time, and then I saw Jason Krekel’s “Esse Quam Videri” at the Wild Goose Festival. If your going to rip someone off, Krekel is a good person to steal from. Since we are both stealing from the State of North Carolina, I guess that’s ok.
My brother’s traveling song is “Truckin’.” I get that, but it has never quite fit me. Mine is “L.A. Freeway.” I’ve rarely experienced just one emotion. I’m sad and excited, alternating between the thrill of being able to take such a radical step and wondering why in the world I would ever want to leave this place.
It hit Tallulah last night too. Came out sort of different for her, since the thing on top is that she misses her mama. I get that. I miss her mama too. And mine. We cried together. Who would have thought that would happen, or that it would feel like the greatest thing in the world. I’ve got a lot to learn.