AND SO WITH THE SUNSHINE AND THE GREAT BURSTS OF LEAVES GROWING ON THE TREES…I HAD THAT FAMILIAR CONVICTION THAT LIFE WAS BEGINNING OVER AGAIN WITH THE SUMMER.
-F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
When I flew into the Indianapolis airport, I was astounded to see the expanses of brown, dead earth that had creeped upon the usually beautifully green of an Indiana summer. I had heard that the state was in a drought, but seeing how scorched and scorned the earth was made everything more real.
I was only home for less than 24 hours. Enough time to pack up my bags and start the long drive with my family to Miami, where I would be starting the next chapter in my life. When we got there, there was so much rain. There was so much rain, I wanted to take buckets back to Indiana. But I’m not going back to Indiana. At least not for some time. For me, there is green everywhere, from the high palm trees outside my apartment window to the flowers by my parents hotel. There was water as far as the eyes could see as I stood, toes in the sand, gazing out at the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. New things are starting here. There is fresh life all around.
This is how I ease into this new life. My family has been down here since the beginning of the week to help move me in and take a vacation. From The Dark Knight Rises to Ikea to Key West, it’s been the lull that rocks me safely into this new life.
Odelia Younge 