Why I Left Charleston, SC; Another Visit Down The Road Perhaps
I am currently in Lynchburg, visiting with some friends. The last week I have been in Charlottesville spending time with my brother. Why, you may ask? Well…
You see, it’s like this: for the last five weeks I have been in Charleston. I have been meeting new people, seeing so many smiling faces, working out in a new gym and more or less having a very nice time. In addition, I was looking for work, considering some business ideas and generally contemplating making Charleston home for a few months. Since I was staying in a hotel (the rate was cheap), I had no lease commitments, no utilities, no need for furniture, etc. So it was more or less working out.
Then for Christmas, 2004, I decided to go back home to visit Beau. I didn’t want either of us to spend our first Christmas (without mom) by ourselves, away from each other. I ended up staying with Beau a week or so, then I headed back to Charleston and promptly got Pneumonia and the Flu. I was so sick, I just stayed in my room for 10 days. To make matters worse, I got a silly ticket (150.00 fine) and the house sitting situation I was hoping for never came into fruition,. Before you know it, in spite of the wonderful people and the great workouts at my new gym, I was beginning to feel that Charleston was not to be a place for me to stay. Add to that the fact that as January 27th 2005 approached (the day of my moms passing from Cancer a year ago), I was wanting to go home to be with Beau. I didn’t want the anniversary of moms death to come and go without being near Beau. So, it was not long before I was back on the road back to Charlottesville.
The cost of this trip, over the past 5 months, has been pretty substantial. But what I have gained from the experience cannot be measured in terms of dollars. I am glad I did this.
But now I ask myself, “Am I at the end of this particular road? Have I come to the end of this stage of my journey. And if so, what now? Where do I need to be?
“What matters to me most? What do I need in my life? Where do I go from here?”. Charlottesville? Charleston? This is something I pray about with the utmost fervency. For I know God has a plan. He has a place he needs me to be. He has a plan to use me, just as He does for us all. Yet, timing is everything. Still, time is a precious commodity and I do not want to waste any time flailing in the wind. I am ready to begin. At least I think I am.
Yes, I still miss mom and Blue. I still get sad when I think of them. I get sad when I think of the past five years. But at least I smile some when I think of the past five months. Something inside me seems ready for the next leg in my journey. I imagine the answer will come to me soon.
Until next time.