8 July 2013
We serendipitously arrived at the Adickes sculpture just as
a crane was preparing to deconstruct it. The men had already taken down the portion
of the sculpture that reads “We love” and all that was left was “Houston.” The
crane hovered menacingly over the “H.” Jason, Holley and I ran over to the crew
with our cameras in hand. Holley yelled,
“This is her last day in Houston! We
need to take pictures!”
The men backed the crane away and patiently indulged us in
our nostalgic photo session. They even
gave us a ladder so we could climb up into the sculpture and perch ourselves
within the letters that made up the name of our beloved city. Before we overstayed our welcome, we climbed
down from the scaffolding and just as we made it across the street, the crane
removed the “H” from sculpture.
“Goodbye, Houston,” I said and then it hit me; this was really
happening. Today I would drive away from
Houston for good. I had been so occupied
with the business of packing, moving, graduating and celebrating that I had not
fully realized the weight of the concept that an era of my life was coming to
an end. I started to cry and within a
moment, found myself in the middle of a three-way embrace with Holley and
Jason. These were happy tears.
When I moved to Houston three years ago, I had no
expecations. I had made a tough decision
to leave my residency program in Connecticut after what had been the most
challenging year of my life on nearly every level. Little did I know at that time that my move
to Houston would mark such a pivotal moment in my life. I was on the cusp of great change. I was just emerging from the sadness of a
painful break-up. After four years in
the kind of relationship that left me feeling raw and derailed, I was finally
ready to rediscover myself. Houston was
the backdrop to that journey. It wasn’t
long before I was welcomed into the sweaty but loving arms of that city.
On the surface, Houston seemed like an overwhelming large
concrete jungle, but I quickly learned that it is really the smallest big city
I have ever known. It wasn’t long before
I discovered the personality of its many diverse, quirky neighborhoods and varied
subcultures. Soon I found myself recognizing
the same friendly faces around town. By
the time I left Houston, it was rare for me to go on an errand or outing and
not run into someone I knew, even in the fourth largest city in America.
Houston is not the kind of city that puts all of its rewards
right in your face like New York or San Francisco. It isn’t until you start to scratch through
the outer layer, strike up a conversation with a stranger, read the free weekly
press, that you really discover the gems that this city has to offer. There are a plethora of non-pretentious
incredible spots to eat and drink, free outdoor concerts and performances,
hipster cafes, farmers markets, eclectic art displays and instillations, parks,
breweries, and the representation of nearly every foreign culture one could
imagine. While in Houston, I tried so
many new things that enriched my life; each novel experience leading me to the
next. From impromptu two-step dance
lessons from middle-aged men at Blancos, to crystal bowl meditation sessions at
yoga studios to delving into the athletic communities of cycling, crossfit and
even hash-running. I began to see that
Houston had so much to offer if you just looked for it.
Even greater than what I learned about Houston, I learned
about Texas as a whole. After a few
years, I finally understood why the inhabitants of this state are so fiercely
loyal to their “heritage.”
Northeasterners can be cold, gruff, and blunt upon first meeting, but
over time will let down their walls, treat you like family, and tell it like it
is. Southerners act with the utmost of
politeness and hospitality to all, but you never quite know where you
stand. Do they really like you? Or were
they just exercising good manners?
Westerners are friendly in a relaxed fashion; they will chit-chat with a
stranger, but keep their distance, taking time to let a new person in.
Texans seem to have the best of all of these qualities. They are a genuinely friendly group of
people, to the point where you feel welcomed and at ease without feeling
patronized. Texans are straight
shooters, but they typically manage to be blunt and honest in a pleasant
manner. If you give a little, you get a
lot from a Texan. Once you start to open
up, they let you right in. You can go
from stranger to part of the family over the course of a few hours. And then you are family just like everyone
else, no special privileges. “Get down
and dirty now because you are one of us.”
No strangers have ever welcomed and embraced me more than Texans
have. With a family from College
Station, all it took was sharing beers while we waited in line for BBQ together
that made us family. With a grandfather
I met two-stepping in Austin, a few dances and some deep conversations about
our lives was all it took one night to make a life-long friend.
On my last night in Houston, I looked around at the people
who had gathered at the icehouse to say goodbye and realized that I have never
had a better conglomeration of friends in my life than I had in Texas. Friends from the hospital showed up in
scrubs, cycling friends rolled in on bikes from their evening ride, Crossfit
friends came sweaty from the WOD, and close friends baked cakes, made posters,
and wrote heart-felt cards. I took a
brief moment between the laughs, beers, and hugs, to take it all in, and I felt
my heart swell with happiness. I
realized that the last three years in Houston had truly been the best of my
life: full of personal growth and self discovery, fierce friendships, positive
energy, amazing meals, quirky characters, sweaty bike rides, humbling 5am
work-outs, long days at the hospital, and endless laughter. When I moved to Houston, I think I was fortunate
enough to be in a phase where the canvas of my life was freshly cleaned and
ready for new paint. Today I feel as
though I leave Texas with a quirky but beautiful work of art that I am proud to
display to the world outside. Somewhere
in the midst of the streaks of paint on that canvas you will find the outline
of the state of Texas with a heart over Houston. This is my ode to that town.
