Thursday, November 12, 2009

Homesick

Homesick.
That’s what I’m feeling today. I had two main triggers. A high school friend in Tampa mentioned that his wife had just made him collard greens- gag if you want to, but they are one of my favorite things on earth. The second trigger was this morning. I go to a personal trainer once a week because I can’t seem to motivate myself to exercise otherwise. She mentioned someone that we mutually know who was watching the Alabama game last Sunday. As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in the panhandle of Florida, lovingly known as LA… lower Alabama. Where I grew up, you were one of 4 things. A ‘Nole fan, a Gator fan, an Auburn fan, or a ‘Bama fan. It didn’t matter if you or anyone in your family had actually gone to any of the referenced schools- but you were one of them. I don’t particularly love football- but it still gives me the feeling of home. When the SEC is playing on TV- I start to crave boiled peanuts, cheap beer, and Southern drawls. I miss going to church on Sunday morning and discussing the scores/plays of the prior nights Gator game (my alma mater). I miss the smell of saltwater and swamp- but now, writing this post, I think I am troubled that our future child will probably never know those smells, tastes, and rituals. I’m not saying that Texas won’t have it’s own- but I won’t share those experiences with our child.
What are your thoughts? How did/will you feel if you are raising a child outside of the comforts and rituals of where you were raised?

5 comments:

The Miller Menagerie said...

We do our best to replicate a little piece of DeFuniak in the wretched PacNW (with their hatred of fried food, and the large Asian culture that really can't understand any word said in a Southern accent). That being said, if Drew could make Microsoft money, with Microsoft's autism benefits for Newt, in DeFuniak, we'd move first, and figure out selling the house and all of the details later. We miss home. I'd miss the snow, but as Drew said, with a half-decent income, we could do a Virginia trip to DC & Richmond to see dad & mom, respectively, and get our snow fix.

Tyler Tuszynski said...

It is why I moved back. I could make twice the money in Miami - but it just wasn't 'home'.

Pufferfish said...

Hmmm, I have the opposite problem. I hate where I grew up. I hate the food, the narrow-minded people, the way they dress and the accents!
All I can think about is how I won't have to subject my kids to any of that and how happy I am to be raising them in an entirely different way than I was raised.
But, it sounds like you had a much happier upbringing than me:)
I think you'll do just fine in Texas with the random trip to LA thrown in.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping that we can pull off a "home away from home" thing for our son...cooking the things that we loved as children, watching our favorite teams on TV (even if it means getting a satellite package!), and getting back as much as possible. I think that no matter where you are, you'll be able to do the same. (Collard greens...mmmm!)

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