The view from here

The Flatirons from Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO. Sometimes I under-appreciate where I live. My cousins from Michigan just moved out here and every time I'm driving them around they're in awe. I drove them to their new high school--MY high school--on the route I took every day for four years. I had grown accustomed to it, but they saw it as beautiful. A simple hill with a bunch of suburban houses that lines an intersection was incredible because Michigan has no hills. The mere sight of the flatirons from afar put them into a tizzy. They were in shock when my step-dad explained to them how we have more sunny days than Florida. This picture basically embodies one of my top reasons I'm glad I'm staying in state. If I were leaving for Syracuse, NY in a few days like I had originally wanted, I would probably be freaking out at the idea of not being around this any more. There's other parts of me that wish for a new environment, but this is home.

I don't know what inspired me to take this picture. It was coming home from that last bonfire and having a laughter-filled night with one of my best friends, Jacquelyn, who left last night. It's the road right before I turn into my neighborhood, and yes, I was driving. I guess I wanted to mark the night or maybe this view resonated with me. An empty stretch of road that leads into the unknown. Saying goodbye to all my best friends is not only a balancing act like I said before; it's scary. Sure, people say "We'll keep in touch" "This isn't the end" or my personal favorite, "It's not 'goodbye,' it's 'see you later.'" But who can say that the time and distance apart won't take a toll on the relationships? We're all moving on, taking on new lives. We'll have less in common, less to talk about when we do see each other on breaks and when we visit one another. And it will be even scarier to try and replace those close friendships with new ones. For a while, we'll be alone on a long stretch of road. So maybe I do know what inspired me to take this picture.