She Returns

Although her departure came with more tears than she had planned on, it took only a good, long bike ride to remind her that there are things she loves about the concrete and skyscrapers. The smell of ethnic food and the gentle hum of passing traffic. Dogs and small children playing in their yards.
They remind her that although her visits, no matter how long, are always a little too short, she would not be happy building her life there. The town and the opportunities always made her feel a little claustrophobic, and while her past and her family are there, her future, and a family she has made on her own in the past four years, is not. Just as a small part of her will always be here when she leaves, a small part of her will always be there, and will always yearn for the way life was and still is in the place where she grew up. Simple. Slower. Full of laughter and hugs and good food. It's what home should be...somewhere she never stops looking forward to.