Long Island Dreamin'

It's the same thing each year.

The weather starts getting nicer, I've had enough of the school year, and I start wishing I was back home in Long Island. [As an aside: I am aware that I say "in" Long Island, when it should be "on" Long Island, and for those of you who constantly remind me of this grammatical blunder, I do not care!]

But yeah, the springtime blues are in full bloom here in Delaware. I write this on the eve of a trip back home, actually. However, my trip tomorrow is going to be short-lived; it is an interview that will hopefully seal my fate as English teacher in my beloved Sachem school district. Although, I won't even be home for 24 hours. I need a full-blown week at home, with free access to the beach, White Castle, Ralph's Ices, and Strathmore. Maybe throw some New England clam chowder in a bread bowl down in Port Jeff in there, for good measure.

As I was driving today, reeling after a rough day at school, the wind blowing in all directions through my car, I wished I could just drive right to the beach, sit in the sand, put my toes in the wet sand where the ocean meets the shore, and just gaze out onto the horizon, putting all my troubles at bay for at least a short time, when everything else around me is serene. Instead, I was stuck in Delaware driving on I-95 next to the funky, malodorous fetor of a garbage dump. To drive to the beach would take at least an hour and a half. It's not even like I go to the beach that often when I'm home. I think I just like it for security: it symbolizes home, and the close proximity of the beach is a calm reminder that serenity is just a short drive down the road.

In the meantime, I will keep playing my countless songs that remind me of home, and, who knows, maybe in the 15 hour time-span that I'm home over the next two days I will drop by the beach just so I can put my toes in the sand and feel one tiny grain of peace to hold me over until I'm back home for good.