Prompt Entry #2: A Trail of Homes

Why do I feel at home at Syracuse? That has been a question on my mind this past week. When I first arrived here, I spent the summer (what was left of it) and autumn weekends on hiking trips. I found creeks full of pebbles and calm lakes. The gray squirrels scampered across the grassy fields. I attempted to sneak up on the first black squirrel I saw. I didn't know they existed. Because I had some time before Chatham classes started, I spent several days at Onondaga Park. The grass bathed in sunlight and glowed green. A few fisherman sat in chairs by the lake's edge with wide-brimmed hats shading their eyes. The trees shimmered in the humid heat. Those early days spent in the park brought a question to my mind: Do you feel at home yet? The weekend hikes spent in the state parks confirmed my answer: Yes.

Onondaga Park in Summer

When I think of a worry-free childhood, I remember wading through creeks with my brother. We placed water shoes on our feet and carefully maneuvered around crumbling rock piles to rile up the minnows. I remember running out into our flooded street after a rainstorm to look for the rainbow and splash in the water. And of course, there are the regular walks I took with my brother and cousins from the library to our grandma's house. One day, we were explorers, attempting to catch a wild rabbit. Another day, we were treasure hunters pretending our little slice of nature was a jungle, filled with poisonous snakes and quicksand. Those days remind me of my family when it was knit together like a warm blanket.  

When my husband I lived in Sacramento before moving to Syracuse, our apartment rested across the freeway from Lake Natoma.  We tried to spend parts of our weekends (and some weeknights) crossing the bridge across the freeway and entering the wooded area that held walking and bike trails. Deer, Canadian Geese, and turkey flocked the area. When I was there, attempting to drown out the steady hum of the cars from the freeway, I felt that sense of home that had faded over the years. We walked the trails, and memories of my mom leading us through those same dirt pathways came to me. 

My demands aren't high when it comes to feeling at home in a place. I don't feel the need to return to Sacramento; rather, I feel as if I can make connections wherever I go, as long as I can find those little slices of nature tucked away. The memories of my relationship with nature as a child remain strong, yet I love the opportunity to find exciting, new things to explore, such as black squirrels and a real winter. Even if I never again live in Sacramento, I know that if I learned the areas I spent my youth, including the paths around Lake Natoma, were paved or uprooted, a little piece of me would crumble away with the land. So, though I am excited to spend my life in no specific place, I can't deny pieces of me will left behind in each city or town that holds place in my memories. I'm making a trail of homes, connected by nature. I'll see where it leads me next.