The Familiar

There is a lot written on the wonders of seeking out the unfamiliar.  In my world that will come soon enough (like, in less than a week).  For now I'm enjoying the wonders of the familiar.

 

Zooming up I24 with rock and roll on the radio, coming up 'the ridge' to meet a friend

 

Knowing where each exit on the Interstate goes

 

Knowing the stores and restaurants along the main street in Clarksville because I've been in them and know what's available and which ones I prefer ahead of time

 

Sitting at an intersection and knowing where the roads in each direction go because I've been down all of them

 

Driving downtown Nashville during rush hour and knowing the back ways to avoid traffic because I've driven most of the streets before and know how to manage the one-ways and what streets go through

 

Knowing what I want to order in the restaurant because I used to eat there at lunch a lot

 

Having the hostess who seats me greet me by name and remember me from 2 years ago

 

Having friends I can call and who will actually meet me for a meal/beer/walk

 

Knowing where on the 'dial' the radio stations I like are located when I first get into town

 

I'm sure there are more moments that prompt me to savor being back in the familiar.  It is an almost tangible thing to me right now, having spent the past year and a half or so in very unfamiliar territory.  I'm sure when I get back next the experience will be even more so.  As I experience these moments, always in the back of my mind is the question of when will I be back in that location and who will I be by then?