Wednesday, September 06, 2006

You can't go home again

Well, you can, but everything's different, as I found out this past weekend when I went back to Atlanta for an anniversary celebration for good friends. I'm still trying to sort out all the emotions experienced and decisions reached, so until I come to some conclusions, I'll just distill my discoveries this way:

What I miss most about Atlanta

  • The green lushness of the place
  • My daughter, family, and dear old friends
  • All Saints' Church
  • Krystal Hamburgers and cheese grits (yeah, I brought another pound or two of grits back to NY with me)
  • Cheap movies ("Twilight" pricing)
What I don't miss at all about Atlanta and wish a not-very-fond farewell to

  • Traffic, driving, anything car-related
  • A specific type of Southern pretentiousness (not from loved ones,but from the population in general)
  • The blahness of architecture (they tore all the old stuff down, doncha' know)
  • The lack of energy (but it could've been the humidity)
  • I-285
The point is that while I'll always be a proud Southern gal, Atlanta just isn't where I need to be right now. I've no doubt I'll return at some future date to live out my dotage (dotage being soooo far away, right?), but for now - I'm gone. Not there. Physically, mentally, or emotionally. Shorty PJs has left the ATL building.

Time to move on.

5 comments:

Liz Hinds said...

That sounds like closure. well done, Mary. The things you miss are the right things to miss, I mean the sort you would miss wherever you went, and you're seeing clearly what you don't miss.

It's great that you know you've made the right decisions.

Anonymous said...

Been there. Done that. I visited Pittsburgh just a very few months after moving to Nashville, and had that same reaction. But the more I thought on it, the more I realized that it was not that Pittsburgh had changed that much and that quickly. It was my relationship and role that had changed, giving me a different set of filters through which to see.

I echo what Liz said about closure, because that does validate your decision. If you move back South one of these days, take a look outside Atlanta. Charlotte and Nashville are the 2 that come to mind, but by the time you're ready, there may be an entirely new set.

Yeah... I-285 ... YUCK!

Joy Des Jardins said...

You sound good to me Mary. Maybe you needed that trip back to Atlanta to kind of confirm some things in your mind. Your list makes a lot of sense...especially the things you'll miss....but, the really important things will ALWAYS be there for you. You seem to have made the right decision for the right time....for you.

Christa said...

Very true. It's difficult to return home again no matter if it's a different town or country. Travel and moving around gives us a different perspective on things...so it's really we that are changing, not the place ;)

Thought I'd stop by and let you know that I'm not dead yet :p
I'm offline though and this is very temporarily.
I hope things are good on your end :hugs:

chux said...

Surprised you feel like this already. It was inevitable though. Things change without you being there and home no longer is home! I'm the same when it comes to where I was brought up and spent most of my life. I dont mind popping back but I could never life there again, its not the same!

how's your back now?