I tend to think in lists, even if the items are never scribed to paper. And lately, as I prepare to move to New York City, I find myself mentally returning to two specific lists - what I anticipate I will and will not miss about Minneapolis. Twelve months from now, I wonder how accurate I'll find myself?
What I'm Glad to Leave Behind
1. Our crappy cars2. Our house
3. Nine months of winter
4. Passive-aggressive Scandinavians
5. The Mall of America
6. Improper grammatical use of the word "borrow"
7. Bad drivers (a consequence of #4)
8. Hot dishes, Duck-Duck-Greyduck, and pop (vs. the properly named casseroles, Duck-Duck-Goose, and soda)
What I Think I'll Miss
1. My car
2. My house
3. Parks everywhere
4. Clean public transportation
5. Lakes everywhere
6. Seward Co-Op
What am I forgetting? What else should I be glad to leave behind? What will I wish I had with me?
Um, DUH. You are going to miss your friends! All the lovely people in your life that you pour into and pour into you. I'll borrow that one to you. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think you will miss the accessibility of Mpls- it's so dang easy to jump in your car and get somewhere. Also, you will probably miss a backyard, right?
Leah, missing my backyard is definitely part of missing my house. although, since we never mow the lawn or pick up dog poop, I'm not really sure I'll notice a difference. And I purposely avoided mentioning people I'll miss - not ready to think at that level yet!
DeleteI do think you'll thrive with the more directness of east coast peeps. I also think you are being too mean to MN re weather. Nine months now, come on. But yes the April freezing cold and snow really makes a gal get the itch to move. And YES to the bad drivers. This is one of the things that irked me on Day 1 back in the States that still irks me (less though).
ReplyDeleteJLMJ, anything that is less than 80 degrees might as well be winter for me. So I think I'm being fair - by that standard - that MN winter lasts 9 months! I agree that I will appreciate the east coast directness but I'm sure sometimes I will miss the socially-forced smiles and kindness of MN
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