Missouri Mist

Tue Nov 27, 2007, 9:20 PM

What a beautiful and interesting chapter in my life.

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I’ve never been very close with my aunt and uncle. I liked them, sure… but spending time with them wasn’t something I jumped at doing in the past. Not because I didn’t love them, but I didn’t know them well and I was intimidated by them, as children will sometimes feel.

This Thanksgiving I was given the opportunity to fly out to Missouri and spend a week with them, my grandmother, cousins and another set of aunt and uncle. As I’m approaching my mid-20’s, I’ve done a lot of work on my self-esteem, my confidence and my ability to gel well in situations involving more than just me and a novel or my sketchbook. I was excited at the chance to finally, as an adult get to know the family members I previously had only a vague relationship with.

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I arrived the night before Thanksgiving. My uncle met me at the airport with my cousin. I wasn’t nervous on the ride there, not like I would have been in the past. I was able to relax and take in the beautiful Missouri countryside. The closer we got to their house, the wider the grass fields, the bluer the sky. Their actual neighborhood used to be farmland – 6 acre lots, dogs playing fetch in the front yards, tree leaves browning and withering – it was like stepping into a dream. (For someone from a big city in the desert

). My aunt hugged me so warmly, so kindly, I thought to myself how crazy I must have been to ever be frightened of these people.

The week was filled with food, games, good conversation and laughter -- raucous, down-to-your-toes laugher as we playfully jeered each other at pool or Pictionary. I took in some of the history-laden sights – the St. Louis Arch, the Old St. Louis Courthouse and Mark Twain’s childhood home. I didn’t sleep the last night, hoping to stretch the stay as long as possible.

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I looked out the window into the midnight sky, my heart vacillating, and it hit me… how grateful I was to have such a wonderful family. And how grateful I am that I could see past my childhood and my fears, that I chose to change my perception in order to not miss out on the beautiful, beautiful present.

I wish all my deviant friends the courage to change their perception from whatever obscures the beauty of life and the delightful opportunities that present themselves to you. I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year.