What I miss

Last night, at dinner with some of the students who are part of the DC-semester program where Bruce is teaching, we had an interesting conversation about what we miss from home.

I asked a couple of the students what they thought they might miss about DC when they returned home. They misunderstood me and told me about a couple of things they've missed from home while they're here: grocery shopping in a car rather than on foot, and Target runs! (They obviously live in suburban areas at home.)

It made me think about what I've missed from Iowa while I've been here. Like those students I have been loving my stay here in DC, but there are a few things I do miss . . . So here's a short list.

#1:

No explanation necessary

#2: my big kitchen. The tiny kitchen we have here does not inspire me to do much real cooking

Functional kitchen, but not much counter space . . . or even a vent fan.

(since I'm unemployed, I've taken on the cooking; Bruce does the clean-up). Our weekly menu doesn't vary much: spaghetti or pasta alfredo, some kind of curry, breaded chicken (I get it frozen . . .) with fries, and something with eggs. Every week! Luckily Bruce is happy with little variety.

#3: my friends. I was so happy to host my brother and sister (who would be friends even if we weren't related) and Anne last month. But I'm missing many other friends, co-workers, and acquaintances! Will see you all soon!

#4: easy access to Target and JoAnne Fabrics.

Like the students who missed Target runs (they hired an Uber to take them to a Target a couple weeks ago, just to "do a Target run"!), I miss the convenience of a store like that. I've ordered supplies on Amazon, but JoAnne Fabrics stuff isn't as easy to get on Amazon.

#5: inexpensive theatre tickets.  There's lots of good theatre here in DC, but I haven't seen as much as I might--tickets basically all start at $50/person. . . That's a lot for a currently unemployed theatre-goer! I miss The Giving Tree's 2 for $30 tickets to great shows.

I wonder what I'll miss from DC when I get back to Iowa. I can guess a few things: our walkable neighborhood, easy public transit, my church home-away-from-home Capitol Hill United Methodist Church, racial diversity, lots of free museums and concerts and lectures . . .

But probably I'll have to get home to Iowa to see what I truly miss from this temporary home in DC. As Joni Mitchell says "you don't know what you've got till it's gone."