The D-Town Cure All

As I sit and write this rainy Sunday morning, I feel renewed and a little more sane then I did earlier this week. And what put me back on track? Dahlonega, of course.

Once all the work week misery finally ended on Friday, I felt like my brain had been turned into silly putty. I had done virtually no studying that week, had fallen behind again on the GRE, and felt like I was steadily losing my mind. I needed to get back on track, fast. Thankfully, Blake called me up Friday night and invited me out to a day in Dahlonega. I couldn't possibly pass up the offer.

So yesterday afternoon, backpack in hand, I climbed into my car, adjusted my seat, and headed over the mountain. As I sped past Sunrise Grocery and saw Blood Mountain sprawling before me once more, I felt the weight of the world lift off of my shoulders. Sadly, the drive over was spent behind copious amounts of traffic and on the phone with Grubbs. But soon I rolled into Dahlonega; the golden steeple of Price Memorial appearing over the tops of the old storefronts of the town square. The town was packed; with a small music festival on the town square itself. I parked, stepped out of my car, felt the gravel crunching beneath my feet, and instantly felt transported back to a time when life made sense.

I had a while to wait before Blake and Davis arrived, so I stopped in at Connie's. As I walked through the door, I felt time melt away, and suddenly, I was back in my first semester of college, five years ago. Nearly every day back then, I would finish up my morning classes, throw my backpack on, and walk from the campus down to the square for a bite to eat and a little dessert called Worms and Dirt. For the uninitiated, worms and dirt consists of chocolate ice cream, ground up Oreo's and a generous serving of gummy worms. And it is fantastic.

Soon, an afternoon of walking the town with Blake and Davis commenced. We had a great time. I checked out Blake's new car. We poked into the Antique Bookstore, a favorite haunt for English and History majors alike. Then we headed back to Davis' girlfriend's apartment to play some Wii, which was fantastic. That evening, Blake and I had a bite to eat at the Crimson Moon, my all time favorite coffee shop in the world. It was exactly the cure I needed. A taste of the past, some great conversation with a great friend, and of course, the drive. Before I knew it, I felt like I was back home again, life made sense, and all was right with the world.

After we ate, we headed up to the campus. It's always an interesting experience, especially now that we're both alums. As Blake and I walked the Drill Field, the memories came rushing back. I was in a somewhat sentimental mood, and felt all too happy to bore my poor friend to death by pointing out certain benches and walking paths and telling him story after story. Thankfully, he tolerated it well. As I climbed back into my car to head home, I knew I would need to keep this afternoon with me for a while; through the consistent inconsistency of post-college life. I also knew that if I wanted to get back to a life like this sometime soon, I would need to hammer away on this GRE like never before.

Grubbs and I discussed the matter as I was driving over earlier that day. Our year out of school, for all of its headaches, has actually been a good thing. For me, I'm having some fun for the first time in years (at least, when we're not on call). I'm catching up on a lot of things that I've neglected over the years - like my health. Being out has also given us both an appreciation for how good it is to be in. It's an appreciation I don't think we had when we wrapped up our last semester at North Georgia. I'm sure that without the time we've spent so far, we wouldn't enjoy grad school nearly as much. It'll be crazy, to be sure. It'll be stressful, and I'm sure there will be very little money, food, or sleep. But when it really gets rough, we'll be able to look back and know that the alternatives aren't nearly as fun.

I thought about all of this as I left Dahlonega and rapidly approached the mountain. The trip home was pure driving nirvana. I had a beautiful, mist-filled sunset, the right music, no traffic, and a giant grin on my face. Time stopped, the world didn't matter anymore. It was just me, the corners, and my memories. It was, for lack of a better term, perfect. It's amazing what a drive over Blood Mountain, some good food, and some great times with your friends can do for you.

It puts the world, and life, back into perspective. It reminds you of who you are, what you're all about, and what you really want to accomplish in life. It renews you in ways you can't quite describe. Or, as I like to put it, it's the Dahlonega Cure All.