“Remoted” – Day 427 (Monday)

Closing bow - 2009.

According to Facebook Memories, which serves as a handy digital diary, on this date in past years, interesting things happened. From 2009, photos from the Clarksville belly dance show popped up, capturing the sheen of satin skirts and the sparkle of rhinestone, sequin, and beaded dance tops, and dang, I look so happy. Life was fun then. 

In the memory from 2013, the photo was of buildings in the Boston Financial District, taken from Dunkin Donuts before a job interview just a couple months after I had moved back to Massachusetts. There was still optimism and hope and confidence and the total naïve innocence and no clue that the search for a full-time, professional position in my degree field would take three full years.

Early days of long job search, 2013.

A few days ago, the memory was from the time in 2012 when I bought a concert ticket just hours before a Jack White show at Ryman Auditorium and attended alone. It’s the first and only time I attended a concert solo. Generally, if there was nobody to attend something with, I would just not go, which is pretty much the philosophy I have returned to since leaving Tennessee.  

Some day, as I languish in the community room of some old age home, I'll likely be looking back at 2009 through 2012 as "the good old days," probably from  the comfort of a lovely rocking chair. For now, I reminisce about (mourn) those years from my living room futon.