Going home is weird ... and nauseating

Hello and Happy Monday, gang!
I am happy to be back at work and getting back in the swing of things after a rotten week.

Last Monday I let you know that I was headed back to Nebraska for the funeral of the mother of one of my best friends. I am so glad I was there to spend time with Brenda, her family and other old friends but being back in Chadron was weird. I haven't been there for nearly three years - since my folks retired to Arizona. There just hasn't been a reason to go home. My grandparents are all gone, my parents aren't there, none of my closest friends live there ... you get the idea. I felt so disoriented, and at times - downright uncomfortable. I snagged a flight early Tuesday morning and Brenda picked me up at the airport (yes - there is actually an airport in Chadron). With her daughter Myka in the minivan with us we ran a few errands before going to Brenda's mom's house. We did some work around the yard and ate lunch and then I was falling into a coma thanks to my much earlier than normal wakeup time. Brenda gave me the keys to the minivan and told me to go take a nap and I automatically started driving to my parents' house! I was halfway there before I remembered they don't live there anymore and I needed to be going to the Best Western instead! Strange.

Even more strange was the next day, when my friend Kim and I took a little drive through our old neighborhood. Kimi and I have literally known each other our entire lives. We grew up across the street from each other. We kept remarking how different everything seemed to us. Each of our childhood homes is physically different - mostly because different people live there now. But there are other changes that aren't physical - they're a matter of perspective. Our yards seem small now and we were wondering how we managed to build the sprawling forts we did, or why it seemed to take forever to mow the lawn back then. The circle drive with grass in the center where we played every day as kids that once seemed as big as a football field now looks tiny. The Henkens' family driveway that we would dare each other to ride down on our bikes and wagons because we thought it was the steepest thing ever now seems pretty average. It's amazing what a few years do to your point of view.

You have to admit, there are some things that happen in small towns that outsiders just can't appreciate. I could rattle off a number of examples - but here is the best one from my trip home. Thursday morning a woman from the airline called me to let me know my flight from Chadron to Denver had been cancelled. I told her it was no big deal, that she could just put me on the afternoon flight. "No can do," she said, "It's sold out." Seriously?!? How many people need to go from Chadron to Denver on a Thursday? Anyway, this nice lady Pam proceeded to tell me that if I could get to one of the neighboring towns that the airline services, they had open seats on those flights. "That's wonderful," I told her, "but I don't have a car." It's not as if there are any public transportation options in northwest Nebraska! "Can I call you back?" "Sure," I said. About ten minutes later my phone rang. "Hi Erin, it's Pam. If you can get to the airport in the next twenty minutes we can get you to Alliance so you'll still make it to Denver in time to catch your flight to Des Moines." Fantastic! Here's the kicker. When Brenda's little brother Ben drops me off at the airport we realize Pam is not driving me in an airline vehicle. She is driving me to a town an hour away in HER OWN CAR. Priceless. It was an early and anxiety filled morning, but Pam got me where I needed to be. God bless her.

Finally - going home made me nauseous. Not because of all of these weird feelings, I was having about how things have changed, but because I was really sick. Brenda's daughter Myka had the stomach flu the weekend before I arrived and her big brother Brady got it next. By Wednesday night, Brenda's husband Mark was sick as a dog. Then Thursday morning Brenda called me to say she was sorry, but she couldn't take me to the airport because she was now hugging the toilet! I thought I had escaped unscathed, but Friday morning the bug bit me and it hurt. I haven't been that sick in years, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Thankfully, my husband babied me all day long and into the night - he is a good man. I've also lost five pounds.

That's it for now ... please excuse my misspellings and bad grammar ... I am beat!
Have a great week,
EEK
Erin.Kiernan@whotv.com