The scent of nostalgia is mimosas....

I've always believed myself to be lucky in the fact that my childhood was close to perfection. Of course there were hard times, but now that I'm 30 and look back on it, it's as if my life until I was around 12 or 13 was covered with a thin layer of honey, sweet and golden hued. Today I cannot stop thinking of the mimosa tree in the front yard of the house I lived at when I was a kid.

My favorite tree, I remember summer vacations, being outside all day and evenings in June with the strong scent of mimosas. The blossoms so soft, I would always put them to my face and immediately make a crown for my head. Unfortunately the flowers wilted quickly, so my mimosa crown never lasted long. That tree was always the safe tree for Tag, Hide and Seek or whatever silly game was made up. Sitting in the grass, backs against the trunk talking to childhood friends about nothing and everything. Life was open and ripe with possibilities. God, I miss that.

I drove by that house not too long ago and discovered they tore out the mimosa tree. There is nothing there, no sign of it, the grass even and green and the yard bare. It's almost like that tree never existed, and seeing that filled me with a mixture of sadness and nostalgia so intense, that I'm still a bit mystified about it.

Back in the Swing of Things....

Not exactly. I certainly feel like I'm in a flux, everything is in motion around me, but I'm quite calm. Maybe I'm just in the eye of the storm, but even though the air is in a constant swirl around me, I feel a stillness in my heart, and I'm content with that.

The home life has changed, no longer just me and my sister. I have more responsibilities. I'm okay with it, I've done it before, I'm doing it again. Work is laying off 300 people, and I'm not even phased. If I lose my job then I do, and obviously have to go a different route in life. The funny thing is I feel no stress about the whole job situation. I have this inner knowledge that everything is going to be ok and just to remember to take life as it comes with it's strange beauty.

And of course how can I forget - I'm in love. This one gets me. Everything I've ever believed about relationships has been challenged. And what's even funnier is I'm amused by my past notions. And it's all happening so quickly, and yet I feel as if I'm watching it all unfold in slow motion. I don't want to wake from this dream.

I'm in love....

And he's beautiful, wonderful, and makes me unbelievably happy. My two week road trip changed my life, and I'm so thankful for it.