I've currently been away from my Southern home for exactly TWENTY-EIGHT days. Granted about half of that was spent at the beach for my pre-planned vacation.
Of course, other things "come up" which generally designate an automatic change in plans. Like the hair appointment I had to make because my stylist of 10+ years is leaving the salon I grew up going to. Like the CrossFit night that my family just couldn't miss because watching athletes do ridiculous things that make every fiber of my being ache when watching is fun and entertaining. Like flying certain days of the week being WAY more expensive than flying other days of the week. Like my Grammy collapsing during a girls day out and being rushed to the hospital. Note: she is doing well and back at her apartment. Seems to be a case of excessive dehydration.
I say all of that because more often than not, our "plan making" is a futile attempt to make life go according to how we want it to go. Sure, a lot of times, our plans go accordingly and those are glorious days. But as {hopefully} we all know, life isn't perfect, and so we aren't always going to have those "according to plan" days and moments in our lives.
The initial "reason" for going home, was to go on a two-week vacation, at the beach. Hallelujah, AMEN. I love the beach. I've grown up going to Bethany - well, it's been a family affair since my mom and uncle were kids. What started as one week, turned into two weeks, because (thank you, Pappy) it was just absolutely ridiculous to pack all of that stuff, drive all that way and turn right back around for only one week at the beach. So two weeks it was, and shall be forevermore. Or at least I'm hoping it's forevermore because HELLO it's the beach. I'll spare you all the details of my two-week vacation, lest I desire my own mob scene from Beauty and the Beast.
Because all of the aforementioned reasons, I keep extending my trip. On one hand, I am more than fine with this, because I've been able to spend extra time with my family and friends. On the other hand though, I'm oddly ready to get back down to Nashville. I'm ready to get back into my rhythm; work so I can make money because I'm about to be SO broke that Saltines are starting to sound expensive.
While I've been home, I was able to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Keller, as well as my Grammy. We took dinner to Grandma and Grandpa and spent a seriously wonderful evening with them. We watched Grandpa's evening primroses bloom right in front of us - I know this probably sounds silly, but it was honestly one of the coolest things I've seen. I talked to Grandpa about his retirement from Transportation for Christ and how he and Grandma have started volunteering at GAIN Warehouse. He makes women's pants and gets to use this fancy machine and he is super proud of himself. He repeated a few stories, and forgot that he had told us, but it was okay, because he would tell the story even more animated than the last time. Before we left, Grandpa was telling us how he wakes up at 2am every night and can't go back to sleep. So he goes to his recliner and "rutches around" until he can get comfy, and snoozes till morning. When my cousins, siblings and I were kids, Grandpa would always take an afternoon snooze. He'd take his glasses and watch off, and drape a handkerchief across his eyes. Right as I said "handkerchief," he pulled his from out under the recliner and was quick to tell me he still does the same thing. It's always amazing to me that even with his memory issues, he still remembers things from 10+ years ago.
When my mom and I spent the day with Grammy, we expected it to be fairly "uneventful." Grammy shook things up a bit though, and passed out in a store. Now, I don't do CrossFit, but I like to think that I still have some upper body strength from my 15 years of dance. After I caught her and the EMTs got her all situated, she was taken by ambulance to the hospital. While we waited in the ER for what honestly felt like an entire day, we played tic-tac-toe and hangman; I showed her funny videos and some from my time on the road. And it was great. Grammy had to be kept overnight for observation, which lead to an eye-roll that would rival even some of my greatest eye-rolls. The hardest part, aside from catching her and seeing her completely out of it, was that she didn't remember going down. Grammy doesn't remember a lot these days. And yet, there are some things that she can remember with vivid detail. We were looking through old photo albums while my mom went for her groceries and she could tell me things that I never would have remembered on my own. The mind is a mysterious thing.
Change is inevitable. It doesn't matter if we're young or old, healthy or sick, male or female, rich or poor. Things are going to change. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. It can follow our plans, or it can completely ignore our plans. No matter what though, it's easier to go with the change and adjust accordingly, rather than to fight it.
As I prepare to go home, I am reminded to make plans, but to also be ready for changes that may come. I can follow the yellow brick road all day long, singing and making friends with scarecrows and lions, but I should also be prepared to meet flying monkeys along the way.
Side note: if that last paragraph made no sense, make some popcorn and watch The Wizard of Oz. It'll clear everything up.
Country roads, take me home,
Ellie
