every good story begins with “once upon a time”
As I write this it is my Aunt’s birthday. It’s very fitting to start this story of my travels on her day. See, she is the original inspiration in so many ways.
One of my earliest memories is of my parents taking us to pick her up at O’Hare Airport in Chicago. She had been in another country for a student exchange program. In my hazy recollection, we drove to a place with a grassy slope to hang out. It may have been our house or a park. I’m not 100% on that. The sun beamed down on her from behind as if to herald her as a worldly beacon. I talked to her about the knitted shoes she had on her feet. or maybe they were socks? Anyway, they were very loosely knit, and I remember asking her if she could use them in a pinch to catch fish. That’s how I remember it. Seems like a dream now.
