Long, Strange Trip

Here we are in Maine. We had to leave Niagara Falls because it was so polluted it was making us sick. It was not a happy thing to do. I enjoyed being a part of a community at the UU church there and I knew I would miss the people there. On the other hand, I was looking forward to breathing. And, to be honest, there was just something about NY that I found depressing somehow, though I can't put my finger on it exactly. I never thought that I would voluntarily return to new England after spending a very unhappy decade in NH starting in my mid-teens, but here I am. Since I left in 1987, I learned that in spite of my parents' insistence that there was something inherently unpleasant about New England, it wasn't that at all. It was small town, rural US in a state of change. Change is always hard. Klamath Falls is far from New England and yet my experiences there reminded me a great deal of the NH I lived in 30 years previously. So I return to New England, albeit a different part of the region. Many Mainiacs, I have no doubt, would be quite offended by being lumped in with everyone else. But there are many things that are quite similar. Other people have come from outside. many people have commented on the difficulty of getting to know people and feeling connected. I find that to be true. I felt an almost instant connection in Niagara Falls and i have yet to feel any sort of connection here, except to know that Brunswick is where I need to be right now. And that's OK. I am quite used to being on the fringes of things. Niagara Falls was a nice interlude, but I guess I always knew it wouldn't last. It's nice here. I feel grounded and at peace. I like the landscape. I've met some nice people. I'm curious to see where it all goes. even so, I am preparing for the next move, which will take me to Europe. I hope this will happen in two years or less. guess I'll find out!

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