Texas In My Rear-view Mirror

This is the last post I will ever make from Texas. It is also quite possibly the last night I will ever spend here, depending on where we stop over on our trip north.

I was born and raised in Texas, and apart from a few months in Mississippi when I was five-years old, and six months in England in 2006, I have never lived anywhere else.

Despite that and the fact that most of my blood relatives (at least those that I actually know) still live here and always will, I don’t feel that I have any real roots in Texas. I’ve wanted to leave for quite a long time, never quite feeling like I belonged here, and more often than not, feeling like a stranger in my own home.

After being laid off last month, I decided that it was time to pull up stakes and “git while the gitin’s good”, as my daddy used to say. The only thing keeping us here was my job, so without that, I couldn’t think of a single good reason to stay.

My dear friend Bonnie has been more like a sister (family) to me than anyone with whom I share DNA has ever been. She and her husband generously offered to “store” us at their house so we can get a fresh start and work out new plans for our future. We are leaving tomorrow afternoon and I have no loose ends here — no reason at all to ever have to return.

My son is quite talkative. I call him my little social butterfly. As we’ve been running errands and taking care of business, he enthusiastically tells people that we’re moving to Minnesota to be with his aunt and uncle. We’ve received a lot of funny looks and a few warnings about the drastically different climate. The general tone seems to be, why on earth would you leave Texas, Our Texas to go to Minnesota of all places? You know… typical Texas-shaped patriotism.

While waiting at the bus stop a little while ago, John Lennon’s Watching the Wheels popped into my head. The song is presumably about John’s decision to leave the “big time”, pursue music and life on his own terms and become a family man. Of course, there’s no way that I can relate to that, but there’s something buried just under the surface that I can relate to: leaving what’s familiar, stepping out of a comfort zone and making life changes that are good for my family and me, despite the funny looks and unsolicited advice.

So, in bidding the great state of Texas adieu, and in honor of the late, great and dearly beloved John Lennon whose music and life story have inspired me throughout the years, I will leave you now with a song that I’m sure will play in my head for at least the next few days — and I welcome it!

Posted by Lottie — Copyright © 2009 Rambling On

Tags: change, family, John Lennon, Minnesota, relocation, Texas, Watching the Wheels