What goes up must come down, and what goes around comes back around. The laws of physics, and of travel. I leave home to come home once again. I return to my house just as I left it, with all the same things in my suitcase. I’m the same person, just slightly changed, fueled by the rush of adventure and the love of my family.

One day, he told me fairies were real. Of course, I believed him. He told me I could meet them in the woods if I spoke softly and listened carefully. Charlie, too, would leave me notes on little pieces of paper, scraps from guest check pads. Sometimes it would be me, jotting down things he said so I wouldn’t forget. Pottery in Spain, horseback riding, watercolor in Cape Cod, the best farms for berry picking.