Thursday, April 28, 2011

Rhythm

I have been in Minneapolis for 14 years.

Sorry, had to pause and take that in for a minute. Sheeesh.
When I moved here it was going to be a little jaunt to see what the city was like, explore the midwest, and then move on. I had high hopes of moving back to Philly or to head south to New Orleans for some song and dance, but somehow I got stuck. For years there has been talk of leaving, searching for the perfect place to inhabit, planning and scheming and scouring the internet. In the winter I want to move towards the warmth, in the summer I want to be near the ocean, while driving out in the corn fields I want to be near the mountains... Needless to say this train of thought can drive a girl batty!
Well, while suffering from my 'grass is always greener' malady, something curious happened. I started to look forward to that moment when the trees first show their leaves, and a soft yellowish-green washes over the dull brown of winter. I would become antsy in late winter to get into Lake Nokomis and swim. I looked forward to The Mayday Parade, The art festival in Loring Park, and winter nature walks at Woodlake. I always make a point to bike on the River road during the fall to see the many colors of trees, to feel and smell the leaves as the wind swirled around me.
At about year ten is when I realized what had happened. I liked it here. I became conscious of the rhythm of the city and felt a intrinsic pull to be a part of it. I thought it was neat how I knew when the trees would show their new leaves, and I could sense rain coming in by the color of the sky. I knew if I would show up at The Otter club around ten at night on a Friday, I was going to see some pretty good karaoke. And I love the ice cream at Sonny's best.
The tempo of this city is now within me, whether I want it or not. And after 14 years here I guess it would be reasonable to admit this is my home.

Welcome home coal.