My Relationship with South Florida

When people ask me where I'm from, I tell them Tennessee. While this is an answer, it's certainly not the complete answer, which happens to be much more complicated. When people ask about my seemingly strange allegiance to Wisconsin-based sports teams, I tell them that I grew up in Milwaukee prior to moving down South. Once again, this is a truth, but not the complete truth.

The whole story must include the "in between days" when I was living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's odd when I think back on it--almost as if I were looking back on a past life, completely unconnected with my own. But it was my life, and I lived it. Things were different then, I was living with my Mom and our side of the family was much more tight-knit than it is today. I remember playing with my cousins, most of whom I've not seen or heard from since those early childhood days, and I remember rooting whole-heartedly for the Miami Dolphins. Of course, at the time the Dolphins had one of the all-time greats, Dan Marino, at the helm, and the Packers were going through a rather long dry spell.

Now, whenever I return to South Florida, I have a strange sense of being home, but not really. It's similar, to say, deja vu. I've been here before, but I just can't put my finger on it...

It is a wonderful little corner of the globe. Dave Berry often opined that Miami should be (or in fact, was) a foreign country, and Key West tried to be a foreign country. The snarled mangrove forests, crystal clear water, abundance of wildlife, and coral outcroppings make the Keys into a true paradise. (Though, the regular sighting of tourist shops does diminish this view somewhat).

More national flags need to include puns.

I don't think I could ever call South Florida "home" or even "a home," but it still has a special place in my heart. It's a nice place to visit--particularly in winter, and I guess, that completes the story.