My memories are inextricably linked with books. Because I read so often, any and everywhere, I cannot separate places and times from what I was reading when I was there. (For example, I will never cease to associate my favorite neighborhood Starbucks with all those dwarves turning up at Bilbo's house in The Hobbit.)
Tonight I went out for a walk because it is warmer than usual. The street that I live on leads into a gargantuan field, complete with a roadway, parking lots, several grass sports fields, a playground, basketball courts, etc. It is rare that you see a car driving on the road, and because of this, it is where my mother took me to teach me how to drive. Anyway, I walked through the field and couldn't help but recall a day when I walked through that field in the dead of winter. I was 18, and as I walked, I read about the fiery torment of souls in Dante's Inferno while shivering and climbing over chunks of ice and snow. I looked up and saw Sister and her then-boyfriend standing there, cutting class and eating donuts. It just made me laugh.
I walked straight through the field and onto the boardwalk at the beach it leads to. I walked along the boardwalk for a while and as I glanced at the benches, I had another thought, this time about Uncle Tom's Cabin. Unfortunately, I couldn't stop this thought from entering my mind: "When I read Uncle Tom's Cabin, Dad could walk."
I think that a change of landscape is a good idea, and I am very excited about it, but at the same time, it frightens me a bit. I know how much I'll miss my family, especially the kids. I also worry that if I find a job there, I won't be able to visit home for a week at a time like I thought I would. All in all though, it should be beneficial. I guess we shall wait and see.
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