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August 7,2004

Ubi bene, ibi patria*

Sixteen years. . .it's hard to believe I have been here that long.It was a bright February day in 1988 when I left Humboldt county for Bakersfield.I had a new job in a new town and a fresh new outlook on life.I was going to make a good living at my job,gain experience,save money ,and move on to the real big time.In my heart I knew I would move back north,I just always thought there would be more stops along the way.There were a few chances to go,times when the window of opportunity swung open for a good look,nothing really looked like home.So I stayed here. It was comfortable and familiar.Indeed,it was the place for me to be for a time.I met a best friend here-that alone was worth the price of admission.It was here that I bought my first motorcycle,the answer to a lifelong question I didn't know I had.It was here that I started my first band,the days on stage are gone,but the music still flows through me.It was here that I have done so much and learned so much,but it was always Humboldt that I returned to. . .It was always Humboldt that I carried in my heart.

As this year began I started putting a lot of thought into where I was in my life,what really matters.The more I thought about it the more I realized that I no longer belong here.I am no longer moving foreword,personally or professionally.The only things keeping me in this town are my job and my stuff.When I moved here I had a VW bug and one pickup load of stuff.Over the years I just kept getting more stuff,eventually filling a sizable two bedroom apartment and garage.The last six weeks have been spent sorting,selling,and giving away stuff.what was overwelming is now down to about two pickup loads.

It is time to go.Many things have changed since I last lived there,I have also changed.I will be sharing a home for the first time in years.I will get up in the morning for the first time in more than 15 years.I will be without a job and looking for work for the first time in 20 years.There will be foggy mornings to get used to.Afternoon sun will be a welcome sight,not the furnace it is here.There will be new problems and old challenges.There will be fresh clearcuts on the hills and log trucks rolling down the highway.There will be birds in the air and water in the river.Best of all there will be friends and family. . .

After sixteen years I will be home.


*Where you feel good, there is your home

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