Going Home

It was time to go home.  We sat on the deck that morning watching the sun rise and enjoying the sounds of nature knowing that soon we'd be back to my neighbor's lawnmower and his creepy son smoking on the side of our house. 

As we were packing up the car the girls and I went to get ice for the coolers.  We accidentally bought a few more donuts.  Whoops. 

We weren't heading straight out that morning.  We decided to wander around the historic part of town window shopping and eating crap.  The girls particularly enjoyed the five and dime store.  We then took Gert to play her first ever game of miniature golf.  We got up to the first hole and Matilda put her ball down, sized up the hole and . . . got a hole in one.  We knew we were screwed.  Gert, figuring out the whole thing early on, stopped even trying to start at the tee.  Instead, she put the ball about an inch from the hole.  Brilliant I tell you.

After lunch back at our favorite diner, we did a little shopping.  Then, after piling into the car, we hit the road.

"Are we going back to the cabinet?" Gertrude asked.

"No honey, we're going home."

She cried.

I didn't have high hopes for the vacation because we were heading somewhere I didn't really give a rat's ass about.  But, much to my surprise, it turned out to be exactly what we needed.

True, Branson isn't exactly my cup of tea.  Too many country music songs, craft outlets and old ladies wearing homemade puffy paint t-shirts.  But we're planning to go back to the cabinet as soon as possible.  This time without needing to do much of the tourist stuff. Just the cabinet, some hiking and some wildlife.  That's all we're going to need.

Besides, for some strange reason, our family enjoys each other's company.  We can't help it.  We're goofy that way.

I have to admit that I learned something here.  All this time I've been worried about the fact that all of my friends are moving away.  That relationships are drifting apart and I'm becoming isolated. 

And all of this is true.  I don't really have the strong friendships I once had (though my closest friends live on opposite coasts, I still talk with them frequently, and cherish those relationships).  But I realized that I don't really mind any more.  I no longer need to define myself by the company I keep.  Instead, I define myself by where my interests lay, knowing that those interests can change and should remain fluid.

Besides, when I want to go to a concert I have the perfect date.  When I want to see a movie, my companion is right next to me.  If I want to ride a roller coaster, I have a partner.  If I want to discuss a good book, I have a lively debater in the next room.

What I learned about myself is that I don't need the validation of outside people that I once thought drove my life.  I don't need their approval of the music I like, the movies I watch or the books I read. 

The only people I need are my family.  Anyone else is just icing on the cake. 

I am who I am.  And I'm cool with that. 

My kids are nuts.  I'm cool with that too.

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