Thursday, June 13, 2013

Looking back before leaping forward

So today is technically my second to last day in America, although it feels much more like the last day since tomorrow will be spent learning more about various different airports around the world. And what a beautiful way to spend my last days in Minnesota.

Yesterday found me travelling the well-worn path to Minneapolis to meet up with my friends Katie, Dana, and Danielle at Psycho Suzie’s Tiki Bar for dinner. The sky was blue; the weather was beautiful, green grass and trees, basically the perfect summer day for the first time since I’ve been home. What could ruin such a beautiful day? Cue a flat tire from stage left. I was all dressed up because I was meeting up with a guy I had met recently, Nick, that night and wanted to look nice. So what did I do? Naturally I jacked up my car, pulled out my spare, and changed the tire in my skirt and boots. It was hot, the sun was blaring down, and I looked like a fool as I attempted to retain my honor as I bent over and crawled around positioning the jack under my car in a skirt. But I did it! It was awesome, I was extremely proud of myself. After our lovely dinner at Psycho Suzie’s my posse and I went to St. Anthony Falls, an area of North East Minneapolis that I fell in love with years ago, and had countless different mini-adventures as I took in the glory of Minneapolis, a city I love.

I ended the night with drinks with Nick at Pracna, a bar that has a wide variety of tapped beers that from 9-11 go on happy hour at $3 a glass. We talked about everything and anything, laughing raucously, giggling innocently, and really just having a jolly good time. We ended the night with a moonlit stroll along the stone arch bridge and I couldn’t have been any happier with my day.

Today I drove home early to meet up with my mom so that we could kill some time on the pontoon. Because, you see, Mother Nature hates me and decided to have the two nicest days in weeks immediately precede my departure date. But alas, such is life. I managed to get some sun, have some drinks, and burn my skin with my mom all before 2 p.m. that of course necessitated a nap of epic proportions. This being my last day in Brainerd I had to celebrate the town in the same way I always have: Applebee’s with my mom (spinach and artichoke dip aww yeahh), a drink and pool at Shirley’s bar (9th Street), and time spent at Paradise with the one and only Ashley Deem.



It seems only fitting that right before going on the adventure of a lifetime I took the time to remind myself of why I love the place I live in now. Minnesota, Minneapolis and Brainerd in particular, is a beautiful place with wonderful people and countless different things to do. I have lived here for the vast majority of my life and have done so many things with so many people. As I prepare myself to jump into the sky and go around the world tomorrow it’s a good thing to remind myself of where I’m from and who I am. I’m sure I will be missing the lakes, the trees, the wide open spaces, and of course the pool tables while I’m in Rome. But hopefully that feeling of empty longing will be replaced with the novelty of a new place, the excitement of a city older then America, and the freedom of going somewhere new to be exactly who I have always known I would wind up being: a wandering musician.

No comments:

Post a Comment