Settled

Reunion weekend has ended, which means that this morning I moved into my new digs for the summer. Being the easily-distracted spirit that I am, I got most of my stuff put away before deciding to start work on a puzzle on the floor, so there are bits and pieces of Grant Wood's American Gothic all over the hardwood next to and underneath my bed. I also went to Savers for the first time today, which is a northeastern-U.S.A. thrift shop with lots of cheap stuff. It was incredibly difficult not to buy everything, but I managed to be moderately adult and buy only the necessities (a skillet, a pan, and other grown-up cookware items).

I could write a big long reflection on how reunion was (fascinating and reassuring to meet alums doing world-moving things with their lives and maintaining their friendships through decades), or how it feels to be back on campus and starting my summer job (surreal and peaceful and full of responsibility in the best way). Instead, I'm feeling lazy--go figure--so I'll conclude things here. My heart is full and happy, and even though it's always hard to say goodbye when leaving a place, I'm content to have the opportunity to perpetually explore and travel. There's a little piece of my heart here in Wellesley, just like there is in Córdoba, and in La Jolla, and in Platte County, and in so many other places, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Galen Stone Tower, November 2014

Number two