Baton Rouge.

I always surmised I'd live in Jackson, Mississippi, for a couple of years. No more, no less.

Don't worry, though; I was there NINE years. NINE. That, as my wise, 6-year-old nephew would say, is a LONG time.

Nine years, however, taught me how to appreciate the familiar, and the comfortable, and the unfamiliar, and the newness that comes with a new place.

I was more than ready for the Red Stick when I moved here. I love it. Its flavor, sites, and sounds feel like home, and the people and personalities seem to fit the coast of Mississippi so well, so I constantly feel relaxed. That's nice.

Tonight, at a community/benefit outing, I realized something new: I know people. I recognized peeps across the room, and never felt alone, and never felt new, even though it was my first time at that venue. That was nice, too.

I like being "new" (ish). I like having things to discover and explore. But I also like the familiar and the recognizable.

So I might just be in the perfect stage in the Red Stick. There's tons here to discover that I haven't touched yet, but still enough that I'm familiar with to be comfortable.

:: happy sigh ::

Maybe there are some gypsies in my geneaology?