Its comforting to walk about, and intuitively know the way around, without ever having to pause and think..the familiar roads and buildings, and places that are significant thanks to the associations they have with yesteryear life.
Its soothing to catch up with people who you haven't spoken to in years, and still be able to have a conversation which you feel had been left off only the day before, about friends and friends of friends, where they are and what they do..
And as you walk around, its also a bit unsettling to find out that some old landmarks have been replaced with swanky buildings, the roads don't look the way it used to, desolate buildings that you stare at and say "I used to know some people here", new street names and sometimes whole new streets have cropped up.
And when you look around, you miss a few old faces, that used to smile at you from shopfronts...nameplates that you thought would remain forever, have been replaced, bringing new characters and creating new stories.
And sometimes, as you talk, you understand that even the old characters have changed, perhaps without even them knowing it.
And that's when you realise that there's something both sweet, and sour about having a town you can call home. A home where your life and memories were shaped, and which is now being reshaped by others' dreams, and lives.
And as places fade away and landscapes change, you are reminded of sand slipping through your fingers, even as you try to hold on. What remains are those tiny flecks, to give you memories, and to remind you of the fleeting nature of it all.....
until next time, mortality
