Sometimes when we have no idea what we are looking for we find exactly what we need. The last home I lived in while I was living in Nashville was nestled beside a golf course and a greenbelt in a neighborhood called Sylvan Park. I couldn't have been more pleased to live in this little nook within the city. One Sunday I was strolling along the green belt enjoying the crisp Spring air. The wild flowers were coming out in full, green and fresh, while the birds were chirping and the dew was being lifted by the morning sun. Looking in all directions I was trying to enjoy this urban oasis and while I did my eyes drew me to some color among the leaves just off the path. Watching my step I crept off the path to see what treasure might be out of my sight. There in the gleaming light of the morning sun was a tall columbine blooming in hues of yellow and orange. What a gift that day! That columbine could not have been more beautiful if I had nurtured it in my own yard, it was magnificent. I'll never forget that plant and it's untamed beauty and I kept it a secret in fear of someone trying to go out and dig it up or pick its blooms. As I stood there admiring it, I realized how important it is to let the road lead you sometimes and forget about what you are supposed to do. Do more than that - follow your heart. Later that same year I moved to Austin, Texas and the year that followed would allow me to find so many things that would catch my eye. It began to feel like I was in a world wind of newness - again I had found myself off my beaten path. I learned a great deal about life and myself during that year and while I have always marched to the beat of my own drum, I found that Austin encouraged that. I was in fact following my heart more and more every day, as I became overwhelmed by new ideas, people and opportunities. One night I was at an event and was introduced to a woman there that I immediately connected with. A friend of a friend who had followed her heart to Austin and was testing the waters here. Her energy immediately put me at ease and the longer we talked the more we agreed that we should be friends. Over the next two years we met for brunches, lunches, dinners, and movie nights. We accompanied one another to events similar to the one where we met, we went to concerts together, took walks, met for drinks and even moved into the same neighborhood. We would find ourselves talking about life, our families, our friends, relationships, art, music and you name it we covered it in conversation. How little did we know that a handshake would lead to a friendship and a wealth of good times. I found that Dara was a fellow plant lover, that we both loved music, trying out new restaurants, and I also learned that she was as eager as I was to learn more about Austin. I suppose over the last couple of years if she and I haven't been there…it is not well advertised.
I believe that things happen for a reason. I knew when I met Dara that she was someone that I was suppose to know, and I don't know why. Just like that day on the greenbelt when I saw that beautiful columbine I will never forget, I will never forget Dara. We made fast friends and we wasted little time in getting to know each other. I learned that she was very good at helping me see another perspective on things. She also made home not feel so far away, when it did. We shared that - she had come from Atlanta, Georgia and was no stranger to Nashville - there was definitely a southern kinship. But more than all of these things, I feel like we were both searching for a new part of ourselves that we yearned to know and experience. We both love life and all its portals.
Recently Dara has decided to make her way back to Atlanta, and although I am sad to see her go, I know there is something left there that she is suppose to do. There is someone there that needs her spunk and her love to get them through a hard spot or show them the way, and she will! She is sure to be welcomed back by her friends with open arms and wished well by her many friends here. For what it's worth, coming from a new Austinite (although a proud one), you have graced the city with the exact type of vitality that its people crave. For you I hope that the path home is as adventurous as the one that brought you here. I hope that whatever is around that corner is magnificent and new. And of course, that the long road between the two will not make us strangers.
