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- Story Listed as: True Life For Adults
- Theme: Family & Friends
- Subject: Time: PAST/Present/FUTURE
- Published: 04/12/2022
The Jeep Grand Cherokee reads 98. I can barely see out at the cars behind me. Is that because of the tears in my eyes or because the car is loaded to the brim? Clothes are dangling off their hangers, moving every time I make a turn. I have too many shoes to count. My whole life that I felt I just moved home, packed up again for one last journey. Woosh! Well, there goes my water bottle.
As I cross the parkway bridge, mesmerized by the way the sunlight is hitting the bay at this hour, I ponder why driving back is so hard right now. It is the fifth summer drive back.
“Come on Nicholl, you do this every year” I mutter to myself.
Even though watching friends post Snapchats of the summer sunsets from home will make me long to go back, I am getting one more chance to live my best life. A life with little responsibility, surrounded by friends, and with my only worry being about which couch I can nap on in between preseason sessions. Covid really did alter my life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be going to grad school and playing a fifth year of field hockey. I think about freshman year me, crying everyday, home sick, even though I only live an hour and fifteen minutes away, as embarrassing that is to say. I grew a lot in five years, much more than I ever expected. These thoughts fill my mind as the distance between my hometown and me grows.
As I drive, I quickly glance at the landmarks I have memorized and how far away that means I am. The blueberry farms pass in the rearview mirror. They're busy this time of year. I catch a glimpse of the local outlets out the driver side window. It's quiet there now though; people are racing toward the beach, not quite ready for back to school shopping.
Like clockwork, I hit traffic coming around the bend lined with those hospitals and sky scraper office buildings. I gently press on the breaks, a reminder that life comes fast, but there are things set in place to make us stop and think.
I come to a halt in front of my new apartment. The tree lines block the beaming sun as I take a peak around the neighborhood. I map out the route to my door and how many boxes I will be able to carry. The next couple of weeks will be hard.
Sweat will drip down my face.
“Would it just cool down a little?” I’ll ask no one in particular.
Exhausted? You bet. These feelings will subside when I am all bundled up in my winter coat and long pants, longing for that freedom. I won't think about that though. That drive, for now, has unknowingly left me with the best days of my life ahead. What would the best days of your life look like?
The Best Days(Nicholl)
The Jeep Grand Cherokee reads 98. I can barely see out at the cars behind me. Is that because of the tears in my eyes or because the car is loaded to the brim? Clothes are dangling off their hangers, moving every time I make a turn. I have too many shoes to count. My whole life that I felt I just moved home, packed up again for one last journey. Woosh! Well, there goes my water bottle.
As I cross the parkway bridge, mesmerized by the way the sunlight is hitting the bay at this hour, I ponder why driving back is so hard right now. It is the fifth summer drive back.
“Come on Nicholl, you do this every year” I mutter to myself.
Even though watching friends post Snapchats of the summer sunsets from home will make me long to go back, I am getting one more chance to live my best life. A life with little responsibility, surrounded by friends, and with my only worry being about which couch I can nap on in between preseason sessions. Covid really did alter my life. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be going to grad school and playing a fifth year of field hockey. I think about freshman year me, crying everyday, home sick, even though I only live an hour and fifteen minutes away, as embarrassing that is to say. I grew a lot in five years, much more than I ever expected. These thoughts fill my mind as the distance between my hometown and me grows.
As I drive, I quickly glance at the landmarks I have memorized and how far away that means I am. The blueberry farms pass in the rearview mirror. They're busy this time of year. I catch a glimpse of the local outlets out the driver side window. It's quiet there now though; people are racing toward the beach, not quite ready for back to school shopping.
Like clockwork, I hit traffic coming around the bend lined with those hospitals and sky scraper office buildings. I gently press on the breaks, a reminder that life comes fast, but there are things set in place to make us stop and think.
I come to a halt in front of my new apartment. The tree lines block the beaming sun as I take a peak around the neighborhood. I map out the route to my door and how many boxes I will be able to carry. The next couple of weeks will be hard.
Sweat will drip down my face.
“Would it just cool down a little?” I’ll ask no one in particular.
Exhausted? You bet. These feelings will subside when I am all bundled up in my winter coat and long pants, longing for that freedom. I won't think about that though. That drive, for now, has unknowingly left me with the best days of my life ahead. What would the best days of your life look like?
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