I wish I would have taken a photo of the man who sold me my first Honeycrisp apple of the season. He was gruff, and tall, and didn't have his right-hand ring finger. He told me "Them apples were picked this mornin'" and I said "Oh man, getting them as fresh as I can!" I wish you could have been at that little, wooden shop with me, trying to choose the most unique type of root beer you could find.
I wish you would know how much time I put into my job and how much energy I get from the students I work with. I wish I had the words to explain how phenomenal one week felt and how difficult and emotional the other felt. I wish I could take you through the emotions I then went through for a month afterward, trying to sort it all out in my head. I wish I was completely over it all.
I wish I could tell you how it feels to go to weddings of almost everyone you hung out with when you were in your most formative years. And that those weddings all come within six months of each another. I wish you were driving with me for those long hours in the car. I wish I hadn't put over 7,000 miles on my car in the last three months. But maybe I don't. I'm happy I got to be there for each of my friends, and am looking forward to being at the ones coming up.
I wish I realized when I was younger that there are people in this world who you don't have to see every day or even every year, but that you will always feel comfortable around. This is the greatest gift. Friends who accept you as you are, even when you've changed. Even when they've changed. Maybe because of those changes.
I hope you know that this is going to be a great month. Here we go September. You started off with a night with a wonderful person, a blue moon accompanying me on a drive home, a day with my grandparents, a potluck complete with moonshine, four-wheeler rides, and parents grilling me food and sending me back to the city with dessert. I will be spending most of this month in another country. I'm hoping for a lot of adventures.
