“There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the ground; there are a thousand ways to go home again.” - Rumi

I love this quote by Rumi but only in middle age have I come to fully understand it. I’m writing this post from a small hotel in Portage, Indiana (with horribly spotty wi-fi) after driving all day from Saint Paul, Minnesota in the cold rain.

This morning my wife and I loaded up our beagle, Amstel, into the car for his very first road trip. As you can see from the picture below he even has a small suitcase filled with all of his favorite things. Our final destination? Columbus, Ohio to visit my family for a week.

We stopped for lunch in Osseo, Wisconsin at a restaurant called Norske Nook. They’re known for their award-winning pies but, as we discovered, their lefse wraps come in a close second. I had the chicken and spinach wrap and my wife tried the lefse-dilla (a Norwegian spin on the Mexican quesadilla).

It’s been thirteen years since I’ve laid eyes on the city I was born in. I originally left in 1995 for a fresh start when I moved to Minnesota. Up until 2004, when my parent's moved to Florida, I made the trip back home at least once a year. It still doesn’t seem possible that more than a decade has passed since I’ve been home. Honestly, it’s damn scary how fast all those years have gone.

When I left Columbus at age twenty-four I had no real plan, just a bucket list of dreams and wisdom that matched my age (meaning nearly none.) Tomorrow, I’ll return to Columbus a middle-aged man. I’ve realized many of those dreams my younger self coveted, most in ways I could've never foretold. This ring will always spark fond memories of how I achieved some of these dreams, and equally as important, all of the amazing people I've met here.

In return for all those years, I also have quite a growing collection of gray hairs on my head and in my beard and wrinkles beginning to spider out across my face. The trade off has been worth it. I can’t wait to see my family, I can’t wait to see my city with these older eyes.

So far Amstel’s been a great traveler but he’s getting a little droopy eyed. As a matter of fact so am I. We have seven hours’ drive ahead of us tomorrow so I think it’s time to bring this post to a close. We’ll be in Columbus for the following week visiting family, the neighborhood I grew up in, and a few of the people and places that hold significant memories. I can’t wait to share some of it with you.

Have a wonderful evening Steemians. Good night!

*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.