S to R

It's seems that when you move from one place to another a sort of city comparison starts to naturally occur. After two months of being in Nashville I realize I have begun a sort of accumulating a tally in my head.

For example:

Donut shops - point Tampa

Clear skies - point Tampa

Innovative stores/restaurants/destinations - point Nashville

Places to take kids (especially parks!) - point Nashville

These are some shots from Fannie Mae Dees Park, better known as Dragon Park for the big, beautiful mosaic dragon sculpture that weaves in and out of the ground in the middle of the park. I only wish I had a camera and photography skills that would do this work of art justice. I was taken by the imagination this interactive piece encourages! Of course there is plenty of everyday play equipment for plenty of swingin' and climbin' and hangin'!

Which usually results in plenty of snorin' and droolin' and nappin' on the car ride home!

I'm not going to lie. This move has been an ass kicker. The boys have been confused and out of sorts...I have been confused and out of sorts. There have been tears, words, more tears, more words, loneliness, laziness and everything in between. The dancing in the kitchen was being replaced with moping on the couch. (Imagine, if you will, a gauge much like the gas gauge on the dashboard of a car. But replace the "E" for empty with an "S" for sucks and the "F" for full with an "R" for rockin' and you have my emotional gauge.) But on this glorious southeastern spring day at Dragon Park the needle on my gauge moved from S to R.

I felt as if all the residue that relocating had spewed on me was suddenly washed off. And boy, oh boy, was I thrilled! Spending too much time by the S end of the gauge is exhausting. Once you get that stench on you, it's hard to scrub it off. Lucky for me, it was one of those moments where the switch just flips all on it's own. Kinda like when you break-up with a boyfriend and you are so sad and crying and obsessing over the whole thing and then one morning you wake up and your realize you're over him. It's an overwhelming sense of relief that puts you back in the here and now, back to dwelling in the moment, back to where you belong - on the R end of the gauge.

All rockin' feelings have been restored - point Autumn!