Last month I flew down to Nashville to spend some much needed time with a very dear friend. The first time we've had a chance to laugh together in the same space in over three years. (Count 'em, 3.)
I met Dani on the first day of freshman orientation my first year at Towson. Though she transferred by the time sophomore year started, she's since become a cherished source of friendship, laughter, and understanding in my life.
I've been fortunate enough to find myself in Tennessee a few times in the last handful of years. But this was my first time flying there. How strange to land in a place you've taken up fond affection for, without following the yellow lines and curving roads to get there.
The view from the sky was fantastic. But I missed the slow driving weave into Tennessee air. The hills and valleys that lead you through the landscape and into towns and cities.
We set aside time to meander our way through trees and river bed at Cummins Falls State Park, an 80 minute drive east of Nashville.
And to order too much fried food at the Country Boy Restaurant in Leiper's Fork.
Tennessee to me is the oxygen, the pace, the southern comfort. The curves in the road and the trees lining those curves. The music. And most importantly, the people there who make it feel like Home.
Tennessee, You are Loved. <3
KM