The day after Christmas is often sad, ya know? But today I'm not sad.
I'm still in Roanoke, at the moment sitting at the bar of the very same Starbucks where I sat, four months ago, completely lost. I had just moved to Charlottesville and I already missed my family. I didn't really have a job yet. I had just attended the funeral of a friend that I grew up with. I didn't know what I was doing.
But four months have made a tremendous difference to me.
In four months you can get some health issues sorted out. In four months you can start feeling better. In four months you can start making enough money to get by. In four months, you can stop beating yourself up about not getting to the cemetery and you can remind yourself that your lost friend is with you always, and not just at his grave. In four months you can start smiling a lot more. You can visit your family. You can pray. You can drink a lot of tea in four months.
It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s enough time to feel as though you’re starting to get your life together. It’s enough time to get your balance back and re-learn which way is up. It’s enough time to regain your breath and remind yourself why you should continue get out of bed every morning and make coffee. And write. And love.
I’m feeling a lot more like Megan than I was four months ago.
I hope you all had the happiest of holidays. I did.
