No one left to play.

I was talking to my homeless friend, Doug, yesterday. He was surprised to find out that I have only lived in San Diego for about two years. He asked me how I liked it. I responded with, "It is okay, but I miss the country life. I want to go back to a small town and settle down with my wife." Then I gave him some french fries. My whole life, until these last couple of years, I have lived in the country. I miss it. I would love for something to take me back to Leavenworth, Kansas. Even going back to Natchitoches, Winnfield, or Lafayette, Louisiana to see my family for a while would be cool. It's these busy city streets that I want to get far from. Don't get me wrong, I love the ocean and the San Diego weather, but this place is a party city. I'm ready to settle down in a small town. The people here are just not that friendly. They can be, but most of the people here are so caught up in having to "constantly be doing things" that there is no one left to play. I miss the green and the trees that existed before me. It seemed like each one told a story. I miss the small towns, from high school sports to family reunions. Where there are dirt roads and gravel everywhere you travel. Where the mechanic is the sheriff is the mayor is the judge. Where the people are real, everybody's genuine. Here they have Carls Jr. to replace Hardee's, but Carl's Jr. doesn't even have a monster burger. Yeah, I miss it but I don't know what I'm going to do if I ever have to leave the ocean. They say the whole world is country, and I don't know who "they" are but they lie. San Diego is far from country and a city life could never replace where I grew up. Katie was born in Northern California and raised in Southern California but even she wants to live somewhere green and experience the four seasons. Only God knows if we will go or if we will stay. We want to be somewhere where we can raise a family. We want to play and have a good time. Let's sit on the porch.


Photo by Blake Bishop.