Step One... Be a Gypsy

So, in order to go out West, and also in order to save for the trip out West... I will be a gypsy for the next month. Step one was to move in with Dad. Done. I just have to figure out where I'm putting all this stuff.

I've been asked a lot about how I feel about moving away from the South. I've lived in the South all my life (with the exception of six weeks in Boston with Episcopal nuns), and now I'm getting more and more conscious of "Southern" things that I do... like say "darlin" and "ma'am" and "sir"... even a few "I'll be damned"... It's interesting because I want to say I'm going to retain that way of life, but there's something necessary with me moving to step back and say, "is that really me?" Or maybe more importantly...

"Is that how I want to be?"

As far as the nervous thing goes, yes, I'm nervous about living farrrrrr below the poverty line and adjusting to that budget. Yes, I'm nervous about living with two other people I've only exchanged e-mails with. Yes, I'm nervous about what exactly my day to day will be like...

Nervous is one thing.

I'm horrified at thinking about the reality that not only will I be able to have an outside perspective of the South, but an outside perspective of myself. A huge part of these past two years back in Mississippi has been getting adjusted and used to how I operate. Grad school has taught me a lot. Living in the same town as my Dad has taught me a lot. Being single for two years has also taught me a lot. Getting back into diocesan youth work has been invaluable. In college I thought I had burned out when it came to youth ministry. These past two years have shown me otherwise.

But all of that realization and getting used to Blount Montgomery as Blount Montgomery could come crashing down. And that terrifies me.

I guess the change of perspective will start with the fact that I'll be returning to Margaret Montgomery instead of Blount Montgomery. Simple enough, right? Just a name. Went by Margaret and Margaret only (with the exceptions of a few nicknames) for about 15/16 years... but have been growing more and more into going by Blount in the past 10 years.

And don't worry... I won't insist on people who know me as Blount call me Margaret. I guess I just figure that...

A. easier to introduce myself without including "it's a family name" and "no, my parents weren't/aren't hippies"
B. more professional?? is that really a concern that I have. I must be getting old.
C.... yeah, can't think of a C...