Country road, Take me home, to the place I belong..
Not West Virginia, but Somewhere north of Florida and south of the Mason-Dixon line. I admitted to myself long ago that South Florida isn't the spot for me. But because I love the boyfriend, I duty on. Good girlfriends, Friends, Wives husbands Children alike- we all kinda soldier on. Like ducks falling in so much midway shooting gallery, we ping and snap to attention on command. It's a quality not often seen in people on 'this generation.' We don't always keep our promises and wash our hands of things before our hands are really that dirty. Dedication to something, anything, is uncommon. I think that is why when we see people with a dedicated path or profession, it fascinates us. Its that one thing that should make us awe and wonder for our parents and grand parents, their parents who suffered through trials we would roll our eyes at today.
I'd like to take - Letter writing- for example. My Mother's Father - was a soldier in WWII. He, like all dutiful & loving husbands, wrote letters to my Grandmother. Weeks and months went by with no word and no comfort from the father of her 6 children. There was no 'I love you' sent by text message from the other side of the world. There was nothing but the sharp unknown. A void filled with worry laced with sorrow spiked with hope. (Three feelings that hardly come together for good these days. ) The times between letters were anxious times. But when the letters arrived, Oh the joy. The Relief, the exhale, the tears and the sharing of laughter. The exchange of hearts and minds. But- it was the dedication to the love that they shared that made the good times great, and the lonely times bearable. I don't know someone today who goes more than a few hours or days at the most, without talking to the people they hold closest. Even Military wives are video conferencing and emailing their husbands every day. Some even know where their loved ones are stationed every day. An idea that would have eased minds in our grand-generation's.. But the Letter... letter kept everyone together. Letter writing is arcane now a-days, It makes you seem old fashioned if you put pen to paper. Something you would hate to have to do. Can you get dedicated to something as simple as writing a letter? I recently made a promise to my godmother to keep in better contact with her. I write her every few weeks, and she writes me. We don't call or email. But we communicate with each other vividly and profoundly.
Yeah, I can get dedicated to something. I hope it's something good - like going to church or training for a triathlon or saving money. That'd be great. But for now, and the foreseeable future, I'm dedicated to making life livable here in the new city. North of Miami, South of Civilization. I hope we can make a move that we're both happy with soon. Because I'm afraid of what is going to happen when the music stops, and we're all we have... are we that dedicated to each other?
