I am an exotic traveler...

My dad was a boat captain for the most wonderful family who used the boat all the time for fishing trips. Since we lived in Florida, a lot of those trips were in Florida or the Bahamas, so Mr. Meyer and his family and friends would fly down from the north (mostly New Jersey) and stay at our house before and/or after these fishing trips. As a young girl I would see their luggage lined up at the front door when they were ready to be driven to the airport and see these large, bulky winter coats laying on top of suitcases. To me, who had never seen snow or experienced anything but a Florida winter, this looked SO exotic. I imagined them getting off their planes, putting on those big coats and being greeted by a winter wonderland. And being a Florida girl, the idea of this was so enticing.

Yesterday my luggage was lined up at Stacey's front door and I looked down and spotted my big, red barn coat laying on top and I was instantly that little girl, imagining all sorts of winter landscapes. But, oh! That was MY coat. I was the one who was going to step off the plane into beautiful, twinkling snow. I wondered if Stacey's boys would see my luggage and coat and think the same thoughts I had.

On the plane I said a silent "good-bye" to palm trees, street lights, shopping malls, my favorite restaurants and 71 degree weather. Then as the plane started it's decent into Elmira, I said a silent "hello" to mountains, dairy farms, our 3-stop light town and a snow covered runway. I got off the plane and as I put on a sweater and winter coat for the ride home I realized that I had become one of those exotic travelers from my past. It hit me how REALLY different life has become as I was crunching through the snow piled on the sidewalk of downtown Mansfield as I picked up our pizza order. Life in a winter landscape is sometimes magical (when the sunlight hits a vast expanse of snow and it twinkles like a million diamonds), it is sometimes a pain (when you get stuck at home because the snow plows haven't yet done the roads you need to take), it is sometimes exhausting (shoveling 2 porches and a long driveway) and it is sometimes depressing (looking at the same white/grey/brown color combo for months on end can make you loopy!). But for this Florida girl, it is still exotic and plain 'ole fun!