It's Good To Be Back

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." _Nelson Mandela

I am currently at the cottage. Honestly, I wish there was a better way for me to start of this post, but I don't even know how to begin. For those of you who do not know, the cottage is my absolute most favorite place in the entire world. The quote above is perfect because the cottage is a place so close to my heart; a place that has literally been here my entire life. My grandparents bought it back when it was blue and a simple lakehouse a week before I was born. Three weeks after I was born I made my first appearance at this incredible place. While the siding is no longer blue, and the porch wraps all the way around now, this place is still the same place it has always been. This perfect summer getaway where my dreams grew, and somehow, I grew too. It never has changed in my mind, so as the quote says, returning to such a place that has not changed and seeing how you have is incredible. That is how I feel every summer.

My childhood summer days were spent in absolute bliss and wonder. I remember my family driving up on Fridays and stopping for fast food along the way. The first thing my sister and I would do was run down to the lake to feel the water. Then we would swing for a while, grab some licorice and sit on the porch and watch the moon come across the lake. The rest of the weekend would be spent eating tons of candy, riding the boat, playing Barbie Dolls, providing fashion shows for the family, and laying out in the water until we were burnt and exhausted. We would play "pioneer" out in the yard, have bon fires, and go on long walks to Bozos for ice cream. Today, much like then, I still eat a lot of candy, play in the water, go on the boats all day, and walk to Bozos. My life is much different from then, of course, and there is something so beautiful about returning to this place that has always provided such a serene and magical place for my thoughts to run wild. It seems that whenever I am here my dreams get crazier and somehow my mind becomes clearer.

Today was my first day of Summer 2010 at the cottage. I drove up with the windows down and the music up. For some reason, you just have to listen country music on your way up. I can't explain why, but you just do. And I am talking about the classic country: Tim McGraw, Brooks and Dunn, Garth Brooks, etc. Then, of course, you have to get a donut and make sure you have licorice for the weekend. That is exactly what I did today. And, the best part about your first trip up for the summer is when you first pull up to the drive and look down and see it. It is the true sign that summer is here. Walking into the airy atmosphere and hearing the waves crash along the beach, and the sound of boats and children screaming on their tubes, and hearing my family laugh throughout the place is wonderful. And I haven't even gotten to the smells here yet. Oh the smell. There is a certain smell of the cottage that I can't explain...but it is just great. The same smell since I was a baby; a mix of coffee, bon fire, my grandma's perfume, and this soap that we have been using ever since I can remember. It may not sound like a great smell combination, but it represents this place perfectly.

I am ready for another summer of my wild imagination going crazy, long boat rides, s'mores, family traditions, and playing rock the boat with my sister on the dock. Just like the cottage seemed to be saying, "Welcome home, Erica," as I pulled into the gravel and looked at the beauty, I say, "It is good to be back."