There's just something comforting about being in Knoxville for a few days. Last day, after seeing
Episode III, I jumped into my car, tuned up a UT baseball game on the radio and quickly ran through four ways to get back to the Inn of the Last Home from West Town Mall. Funny thing is--the paths all would still work, from what I observed. It just depended on how quickly I wanted to get there and how much of Knoxville I wanted to see along the way.
Sure, some things have changed. I mean, the world famous McKay's Used Books has moved out west and there is more growth at Turkey Creek than you can shake a stick at. But overall, it's not changed that much. It's a very comfortable feeling for me....sort of like that favorite old sweatshirt I keep in the top of my closet. It's a bit faded and I do have nicer, newer sweatshirts, but yet I can't bring myself to get rid of that old comfy sweatshirt. I've had it ten plus years and it's a bit too big for me now that I've lost a lot of weight..but ya know, I can't bear to get rid of it. It will probaby fall apart in the wash one day and then, maybe, just maybe I will get rid of it.
But while the geography hasn't changed that much, time has continued to pass. I've written before about feeling old sometimes working with the youth at church. That feeling gets a bit intensified when I come back to Knoxville to visit. See, when I move away, in my mind all the kids I knew stay the same age they were when I left. It's not as difficult to see BrainyBoy and GiggleGirl get bigger and older as I see pictures of them from time to time over at the Inn of the Last Home. But what stuns me is to see Kelsey and John Allen Broyles grow up.
I will say this--I am going to have to have a big-brother boot camp for BrainyBoy and John Allen. I know John Allen is younger, but he must be trained in the ways of intimidating bad boyfriend material from getting too close to his sister. I will be running drills later today in the ability to imidate without actually ever having to physically hurt someone. It will be good training for BrainyBoy when GiggleGirl gets to start dating, when she turns 30 or so...
posted by Michael Hickerson at 5/21/2005 10:24:00 AM |
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