Miner's Lady, Stranger to Blue Water

If we ever got a boat, I would name it "Miner's Lady". It's from the West Virginia anthem "Country Roads", and it's rather ironic given the lyric that follows: "stranger to blue water". The chances of us getting a boat are either slim or none because a) we don't know anything about boating and b) if we ever had a vacation retreat it would definitely be in the mountains not on a lake.

A few years ago I wrote a blog about Michiganders and their penchant for going "up north". I didn't get it then, and I don't get it now. I start to feel itchy if I spent too much time in Michigan, and nine times out of ten I'm ready to head south. Anywhere south, but preferably West Virginia. 

I travel all over Michigan for work, and I love discovering and rediscovering towns I love. Last week I headed to Midland, Michigan for a conference. Midland is home to Dow Chemical, and Dow has invested significantly in the community to attract and retain talented employees from all over the world. It was my first time in Midland, and it was lovely. The downtown is filled with cute stores, restaurants, coffee shops. We attended a minor league baseball game just east of downtown. New development is connecting the various neighborhoods near downtown, and it was inspiring.

But I knew I was heading to West Virginia for the weekend, and by Friday morning I was antsy about leaving Midland and traveling on those country roads that take me to the place I belong.  Morgantown, West Virginia is my happy place. It's my most relaxed place. It's where I feel the most at home. It was a short trip (getting there late on Friday and leaving mid-day Sunday), but spending time with family in one of my favorite cities was exactly what my spirit needed to heal.

My recovery from my surgeries is still much slower than I would like. To be honest my body probably could've used a weekend relaxing without traveling. But my mind would've been restless, and I was feeling that pull to go south. I can't ignore it. Maybe this is how a lot of Michiganders feel about going up north - they feel that pull of home and childhood and comfort. I respect it. 

We'll be heading to Morgantown several times this fall for football games and to spend Christmas with my family. As I continue to heal both physically and mentally, I'll need that connection to my happy place. Maybe I'll never have a boat with the world's most awesome name, but I do have a connection to one of the best small towns I could imagine visiting.

Tailgating with the hubs in 2013.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Some Reasons Why Diet Culture is Garbage: I Poop a Lot and I'm Always Hungry

Image
It was the spring of 1996, and my mom and I were at the mall shopping for my senior prom dress. I had decided I was only going to eat 500 calories a day over the weekend. It was track season, so I couldn't starve myself on practice and meet days, but in my mind it seemed perfectly logical to basically starve my healthy, 17-year-old body on less physical days. I was in the fitting room trying on dresses, and I heard the sales person say to my mom, "Your daughter is so tiny!" I was light headed and nauseous from not eating, but that overheard compliment made me feel like it was all worth it.  Senior Prom 1996 I've struggled with my body image since I was a pre-teen, and in the 30+ years that have passed it's still something with which I struggle daily. I spent years punishing my body so I wouldn't gain weight: eating very few calories and working out for hours, purging, taking laxatives, only drinking alcohol until I threw up so I wouldn't gain weight. It...
Read more

Here's a Shortcut: Do the Work.

Image
I have a confession to make: I don't think I'm my best self right now. I've been thinking a lot about being my best self overall (including fitness which is a huge thing for me), and I've come to a simple, unalienable truth: there is no shortcut. To be the best version of yourself (whatever that means) you have to do the work. I'm not the same version of myself at 46 as I was at 26. (Man could I give that girl some good advice though.) I spend a lot of time reflecting on who I am and who I want to be. While doing the work all the time seems daunting on its surface, it's not. It doesn't mean life has to be a grind 24/7, but it does mean that there is effort in whatever is important to you (which of course is unique to each of us). Where am I willing to do the work to be the best version of me? Fitness. I love exercise. My husband says I'm "obsessed", and I retort that there are way worse obsessions. While I'm logging way fewer miles than I ...
Read more

Why Do I Talk About my "Stuff"?

Image
A few months ago a friend told me someone we knew was venting that I share too much about myself in my blog and on social media. She said (I'm paraphrasing) something like "We all go through stuff. There's no need to share it." At first I was irritated until I realized this person has zero impact on my life. And it's true: we are all going through things. But since then I've been thinking a lot about why I am so candid about things in my life (in particular my struggle with Crohn's Disease).  I was 19 when I got sick. It was so embarrassing. No college girl wants to tell people they're dealing with bloody diarrhea and nausea and horrible cramps. That's the thing about a chronic illness: it's easy to feel like you don't have anyone to lean on. I had my colon removed 5 weeks before I started law school (the delightful adventure chronicled in this blog ). I began law school having lost 30 pounds in less than a month, with steroids puffing up m...
Read more