Yesterday I woke up at 6 a.m. unable to go back to sleep. After tossing and turning for quite some time, I moved to the couch so I wouldn't wake up Kevin. The morning sun was beaming through my bathroom window and casting the most beautiful light on a round wooden coffee table my grandparents gave me. In that moment, my mind traveled back to when my grandparents lived in Dodge City, Kansas. I closed my eyes and took myself on a tour of their old house. I can still hear how walking up the stairs to their backdoor sounds in my mind, like springing rubber bands due to the echo of my footsteps. My mind wandered through every room and corner of their house, bringing giggles and warmness as memories from each room came to me.
They moved away from that house over 13 years ago. I drove by it 4 years ago for the first since they moved. It was amazing how much smaller that house on all the land seemed now that I was older. It's filled with new owners who have re-modeled all of my favorite elements, or so I hear from my grandparents. I dare not go inside in fear that my happy memories will be replaced with unwelcome newness. In this instance, ignorance is bliss.
I was thankful I couldn't fall back asleep yesterday morning. The mind can be such a beautiful place to travel.
