Half The World Away

While on vacation a few years ago, my wife and I were sitting in an open-air bar in Key West, perhaps our second or third day there, having a cocktail. We had just survived our first foray in producing a play in New York City and needed to recharge our batteries somewhere where there was sun, sand, liquid refreshment and very little else - where, as we put it, the big decision of the day would be tequila or vodka. Though we couldn't afford an escape to the Caribbean, we tried to get as far south as we could and Key West sounded like a place where we could get a whole lotta nuthin' done. So there we were, chilled tequila in hand, and after a sip, we let out a sigh. A peaceful "aaahhhhh" kind of sigh as opposed to the usual, stress filled "aaarrrrgggghhh" exhalation.

Granted, it's easier to let out one of those relaxed sighs when you're on vacation, purging the tension of an everyday life and adapting to your idyllic surroundings. But occasionally one can sneak up on you. We visited our odds-on-favorite future hometown this past weekend. We hadn't been there in a month or so and felt the need to get back there, walk around and soak in the surroundings once again. Come to find out a few of the few places there shut down for part of January, since the nearby college is on a mid-winter break, and it was exceptionally quiet - which, for this town, is quite an accomplishment. So we grabbed a slice of pizza (turns out really good pizza will be one of the things we miss about NYC) and popped into the pub before reluctantly hitting the road (another thing we'll miss is not having to worry about drinking and driving if we stop out, but hey, if we live around the corner from this joint, crisis averted). It's an Irish pub - naturally - with a great, relaxed vibe, where there's no TV, the music is played low and you're able to actually talk to the person next to you. I love this place. We had a seat, ordered some pints and sipped.

After a moment or two my wife said, "You just did it."

"What?" I asked.

"You did an 'aaaaaahhhhh' sigh."

I haven't had one of those relaxed sighs probably since being in Ireland, which was, criminally, nearly a year ago. I wasn't even aware I did it. Even with all the job uncertainty, relocation questions and general malaise as of late, an "aaaahhhh" sigh snuck up on me because I was exactly where I wanted to be. Every time we visit our little town, we find another reason to be there. It just brings a sense of peace and belonging when we're there and leaves me eager to get the move on. We'll have bigger decisions than tequila or vodka, of course, and there will be much more to do than a whole lotta nuthin' but we love the connection we've felt since the first minute we arrived and we look forward to the quiet walks down to the river at the end of a day, maybe stopping into the pub on the way back for a pint or two, talk about our day and wait to count those sighs.