tomorrow is october

it's been about four weeks since aravis died
and i'm starting to zero in on the acceptance stage of grieving.
somewhere over the last twenty-seven days i've also zeroed in
on feeling the excitement of my new life in pennsylvania
without all the sad side effects of being away from ohio.
i've transitioned from living day by day, one step at a time
just to get through the crazy newness, the scariness,
and the oh-my-god-i-miss-my-friends-and-family-ness
of moving to pittsburgh,
into the oh-my-god-i-love-living-here-ness
of moving to pittsburgh.
i think it really hit me when i was walking home from whole foods yesterday
how much i'm not just surviving on my own anymore,
but truly happy to be here.
i was carrying a bouquet of gorgeous alstroemerias close to by body like a beauty queen,
the stems as long as my torso.
it was evening and i couldn't wait to get my little apartment
and put the goodies from my brown paper bag into the refrigerator,
get into my PJs, watch TV, play with GG,
and arrange those awesome wine-colored flowers in a huge white pitcher.
i mean
yeah, i still miss my family and friends and channing and chuck.
yeah, i still miss the akron library, the grilled cheese & tomato soup at crave,
the thin man posters in our dining room, and having an awesome front porch,
but that was that chapter of my life
and now i'm in this one...
and i love it.

here are some photos of my life since i last posted...

more photos here

tomorrow is october.

when did that happen?

in september i became obsessed with community and fringe,

watched preseason hockey like there was no tomorrow,

read old white male american poets,

held my friend's newborn for the first time,

had a love affair with burt's bees almond milk hand creme,

visited coopers rock,

learned about the great reforms in 19th century russia,

conquered the unpredictability of public transportation, 

and looked forward to the gray, chilly awesomeness of fall weather.

what are your favorite september memories?

- A