Reflections on Summer 2016

Written 8/23/16 at 1:22 AM

I’m on a greyhound bus somewhere between Buffalo and Cleveland.  The bus is dark and silent and I keep gazing up at the 3 quarters moon.  The moon continues to follow us.  I’m on my way home from Ithaca where I was Alicia’s “transition companion” for a few days.  We moved her out of her storage unit into her beautiful new apartment. We made tons of food for the freezer and bought some beautiful plants.  I feel lucky that I have started and now ended my glorious summer 2016 with her.  I feel lucky that I’ve spent the in-betweens with my baby sister Lo in Ann Arbor.  One of my fondest memories with the Do was going for a loooooong walk and listening to her passionately talk about her hatred for garages.  I love that my sisters are quirky and unique and truly who they are. 

I always feel sad at this point of the summer- I have a dreadful time of letting o.  But then I remind myself “Emily, you really lived life to the fullest this summer”.  Which is true.  I’ve climbed mountains, explored the landscapes of the west, ate at delicious hippie bakery cafes in the middle of no where, ate delicious vegan food at my favorite spot in Ann Arbor, long walks with Michael, long soulful sunset walks with myself, nourished some plants in my garden, traipsed in Europe for two weeks, sipped wine in Paris, ate romesco in Spain, tagine in Morocco, saw my extended family and spent time with both grandparents, explored Michigan islands with Michael, kayaked beautiful clear great lakes bays, smelled the powerful healing scent of Michigan cedar, said good bye to my beloved bachelorette pad, made a rye blueberry pie, witness a friend’s love at a wedding, snuggled the dogs, read a lot of books, felt healed and reconnected with my deeper self.  Gosh I really am fortunate.  So like the waves of Lake Michigan, I must leap into them and let them graciously take me into the next season.  Fighting it will only get me knocked down.  

McCall and more

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I love that deep hitting feeling of seeing the mountains for the first time.   You’ve been in a car for 12 hours straight and you’re sill weaving in and out of the hills as the sun starts to set.  In the distance the mighty snow capped mountain bellows its first hello.   My heart always starts to flutter.  Going back to the mountains is all encompassing: its aesthetic, its spiritual, it’s a companionship, its seeking and its completing. 

Alicia and I arrive late at night.  We can see anything but we can smell everything.  The first sniff of mountain fresh pine.  We drive though 100 miles of those pines on a twisty river road through Lolo National Forrest the next day.  We arrive in McCall with excited hearts and this is when the trip truly feels like it begins.  I make a giant pot of asparagus, sun dried tomato pasta.  Alicia carries it through the woods and we sit watching the lake surrounded by pines eating pasta and drinking our boxed wine. 

The next day, we are on the road again.  Stopping for a few hours in Boise to fill up on coffee and to dance around in the hills.  

Spontaenous Trips to Ithaca

 This past weekend was my Mid-Winter Break for school, bookmarked by 2 bonus snow days.  All of my friends were out of town, so my mother sensing my impeding melancholy suggested at 3 PM that I catch a 8PM flight to Ithaca (THANK YOU MOM!).  I've never packed faster in my life.

There's a part of one's soul and spirit that can only be nourished by a sister.  Heating and re-heating the tea kettle all day, epic hikes with "Alicia short cuts", Tico Lindo food, baking, borrowing clothes, talking about travesties that only sisters understand, collecting pine branches, sharing our latest deep thoughts and worries, Poldark, cheesy country music, etc, etc....

Another sweet part of crashing a sister's ordinary weekend is to fully immerse yourself in the context of their life.  You see their rhythms, routines, organization styles (that you quickly fix), people, community, and favorite places.  I had many a good chats with Alicia's roommates and housemates.  I participated in a Women in Philosophy dinner and met the main players of her philosophy world.  I sat in on her teaching a section, her office hours, and walked her routes to school.  We went to her favorite thrift stores, bar, and neighborhoods.  I deeply cherish these moments of the "ordinary" because back in Michigan when I am missing her, I will be able to picture her life- how she makes tea or coffee right away every morning, her sometimes awkward run to catch the bus, the students that she teaches, the people that inspire her.