When you miss people and places, we tend to get nostalgic and romanticize what was. Sometimes you completely forget about the little things too.
For me, that was the Appalachian night sky and good company.
The sky might be bluer in the tropics, but the nights aren’t nearly as dark as they are under the Appalachian sky.
I don’t remember the exact last time I saw the sky at the beach at night. But I do remember thinking it was stunning.
It still didn’t compare to the Appalachian night sky.
A little piece of me remembered how much I missed the night skies here. The clear views of the stars, the sounds of the woods, and the kind of darkness you only seem to find in the hills.
So sitting out here tonight, I realized I forgot just how beautiful the evenings are here.
Even when I’m somewhere else, I always think back to the sky here.
To me, it’s still the most beautiful and mysterious sky I’ve ever known.
A lot of people would say sitting on the porch after dark in Appalachia is a bad idea.
Honestly, if you haven’t lived here most of your life, I can see why.
Between the darkness and all the creepy lore that surrounds these hills, it isn’t exactly helping the Appalachian reputation.
Here you can see the stars, hear the quiet, listen to the otherworldly sounds, or whatever it is you’re looking for. Or just sit, and take it in.
Albeit, the mosquitoes do occasionally try to carry small animals away.
The sounds and surrounding of it all signal the I am home.
This place slowly brings me back to life.
Do I miss what I had? Absolutely.
But I also love the life I have now, and the people and memories that came with this new chapter.
And getting to know some better than I ever thought I would.
That brings calm to chaos.
And somedays, chaos to the calm.
Hearing all the familiar sounds, I thought it would make me a little more homesick for what I had the last time I was here.
It didn’t.
Instead, it felt like something entirely new to me.
Same scene, Different experience all the way around.
This time around, I am learning to enjoy it all the more than I ever thought I would get the chance to do.
In ways I never realized were possible.
I enjoy it exactly how I want to, with the people I want to, and this time I get to write about it as well.
And finish writing the book.
Make no mistake, I will burn every single ship to do what I need to do for myself and for my book.
I know this chapter is going to be a short one for me, and I think that’s another reason I soak up every second of it.
It’s also why I enjoy it so much.
But sometimes Appalachian stargazing gets cut short because a giant bullfrog jumps on your Crocs.
So there is that.
It ended up being his porch for the night.
And his croc.
The tropics have some interesting wildlife, but they’ve got nothing on the overly friendly Appalachian wildlife.
And now I need new Crocs.
