Suburban Goddess

I am *so* overdue for a trip home.  I’ve lost all inspiration lately; I don’t feel like writing, I don’t feel like designing, and I don’t feel like taking pictures.  I guess it’s because I’ve stretched myself so thin again; I feel like I’m always working.  And when you’re being creative around the clock, eventually, you just run out of inspiration.

I find that my trips home not only restore my sanity, but I always get a creative boost when I go there.  Say what you want about New Orleans; the place just reeks of creativity.  Every where you look there is art, architecture, culture, and music. I didn’t realize how lucky I was to grow up in a city with so much personality until I left it. Every time I go back, I’m inspired all over again.  The people are so colorful; their expressions, their language, their hospitality.  Within fifteen minutes of meeting someone new, I usually know their life story; within thirty minutes, you’re invited to dinner.

My own family is an endless source of entertainment as well.  As much as I pick on them, I would never trade them for anything.  I loved “growing up country.” The best thing about returning home are the stories; even though I’ve heard them all a million times, it still makes me smile when I hear them again.  There was a time when I would mumble under my breath, “I’ve HEARD this one before…”  But now, with the fragile state of so many family members, I find myself wanting to hear them all again, trying to commit them to memory as I realize someday, the storytellers will be gone and all I’ll have left is the memory of them.

This holiday season is different from the others.  Since my father’s diagnosis, everyone seems to be more aware of time and how precious it is. Family has always been important, but suddenly everyone seems to have put aside their petty differences, silly feuds, and pointless arguments. Our family has been rocked with tragedies in the past few years… and it’s times like these that you really start to appreciate the people who you call “family.”

Long overdue.  I can’t wait to get home.

This entry was posted on November 11, 2008 at 7:04 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.