So here we are: the single digits! In nine days, I will be boarding a plane back to the eastern time zone, and the Atlantic coast.
Now to preface this post here: this summer has been incredible. I am extremely blessed to have been given an opportunity like this one, and I don’t believe a job offer as satisfying as this will come along again in my college career. The fact that two very successful businessmen picked me out of the university to work for them this summer was a dream come true and an experience that I will continue to brag about for years.
However, home is home and it is not in a ranch house in Roundup, MT with three other 21 year old students. It’s in Tennessee, and South Carolina, really. My home is where my dog stands at the window waiting for me as soon as I pull into the driveway. Where my dad grills right outside the screened porch listening to Jimmy Buffett XM radio and sings…usually off key. My mom fusses about the cat getting hair on the outdoor furniture, and how the animals are so high maintenance, which is really her endearing way of telling me she’s glad to have furry companions. This will always be the home that waits for me, no matter how many miles away I travel or how long I’m gone. My family is home to me, and wherever they are, that’s where I want to be.
There have been a few additions to my family these last two years, and those include my folks back in the upstate. No matter how busy I get during the year, I can always count on my friends to drive miles to save me from myself. First and foremost- and she’s basically five thousand best friends rolled into one- is Miss Alexis Gray. This lady has more heart than anyone I will ever meet in my lifetime. And what’s even more impressive is that she has more patience with me than I deserve! Not only has she been more than supportive and thoughtful on my loneliest days here in Montana, she also has done an incredible job motivating me. Being in an unknown place doing a job that seems like it will never end really does weigh a person down, but with a friend like Alexis, an encouraging word is only a text or call away. She is worth a whole lot more than calls and text messages- this girl offered to drive all the way to Washington, DC for the weekend so that I would have someone’s support during my grandfather’s funeral. Now how many of your friends would do that?! Alexis, although I have so many more things that I owe to you, I’ll save the readers some time: Thank you for everything you’ve done and all that you are. Not a lot of people give you the respect or acknowledgement that you deserve, but my dear you deserve the whole world. Can’t wait to get back to Clemson and clean your apartment for you because you lied and said you cleaned before I arrived- trust me you aren’t fooling anyone! 21 days I think until I see your face in real life- not on a screen!
To all my other friends in Clemson and at home in the Boro, I can’t wait to see each of you! Enjoy those last few weeks of summer and get a tan for me- this farmer’s tan will be the consequence of working in long pants everyday! I appreciate every single person who was here to support me this summer and helped me along this journey. Here are just a few:
Eric, thank you for not hating me after I left home days after you got back from London. It’s been such a blessing having a long distance friend like you! You always keep me grounded and remind me of what’s truly important in life. Let’s bridge the gap and catch up soon- can’t wait to hear all about your Knoxville business ventures.
Lexi, thank you so so much for making time for me on a weekend when I really needed to be cheered up. Not only were you flexible enough to drive hours to come get me, but you also risked introducing me to your coworkers- that was a gamble on your part dear! Regardless, you added a smile to a hopeless weekend. Can’t wait to be neighbors in less than a month!
My dear sister Virginia, even though you’re a knucklehead and we argue more than we get along, I’m very thankful for you. Now that you’re officially an adult with a serious job, I have a feeling our spontaneous visits will be fewer and more sporadic, but I will treasure them just the same. Tell J-harg that he’ll have to share you with me every now and then. Come visit me in Tigertown this semester- you’re never too old to cheer on a school you never went to. I love and miss you so much that it hurts sometimes, but I wish you all the best!
“Why do you go away?
“So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
marilynmeetsthewest 