A Trip Down Memory Lane

I’m sitting at the Berkeley Public Library reading a new YA novel.

My son and his father are studying at a table nearby.

In a few days, my son will turn 20. We’re here to celebrate with him.

We’ve been having breakfast together, taking short walks and spending time with friends.

I’ve been marveling at how little has changed in the almost 40 years since we lived and started a family here. Not that we haven’t been back to visit over the years, but long stretches of times in between can make for stark changes. We didn’t see any, but we have changed in so many ways.

We walk to a park where my husband played soccer.

We walk in downtown Berkeley and visit our son’s dorm.

We have breakfast with an old friend and then with my sister-in-law and her daughter.

We walk for a long time in Berkeley’s residential neighborhoods.

We eat sushi and tacos and our daughters treat us to a meal at Chez Panisse, a Berkeley OG that at one time boasted a Michelin star. The food was delicious. The flavors subtle.

We also spend a lot of time at the public library.

I realize that I don’t miss living here like I always think I will every time I visit. This is a past life and nothing to do with my present. I’m grateful for the time I spent here when I was in my 20’s and early 30’s.

It’s bittersweet to acknowledge this. And, yes, I’m happy with my life now.

I’m ready for whatever comes next.