Dear South Knoxville,
I just want to say goodbye – parting is such sweet sorrow. I’ll miss you and your quirky, hit-or-miss neighborhoods. I’ll miss your new southward development sprinkled in with the early 1900’s blue collar houses. I’ll miss your cheap gas at the Pilot and Kroger. I’ll miss your awesome farmer’s market on Chapman in Colonial Village. I’ll miss being equidistant between the Kroger and the Walmart/Home Depot. Goodbye Smoky Mountain Wine & Spirits, I’ll miss you and your 10% off Wednesdays most of all – leaving you is probably why I quit drinking.
You served me well South Knox, you and that teeny tiny Lakeview house. You were perfect for me when I moved to Knoxville to get my MBA. You were quiet and pleasant, full of older homes with lots of character, even if your crazy drivers kept me from biking to school. And I won’t even hold against you the frequent power outages that first summer, especially the day you left me without power for 12 hours when I needed to be online practicing for the GMAT, which I was taking the next morning!
Goodbye, redneck-dog-abusing-neighbor – I won’t miss you at all, but am glad I got to tell you like it is before I left. Goodbye, awesome-vet-student-neighbor who took care of my dog when I traveled – Hayley and I will both miss you! Goodbye, all you crazy lake-dwelling ducks who stand stupidly in the road, because the thoughtless neighbors entice you to cross the street by feeding you from their porch.
I must leave you because MBA school isn’t the only thing from which I’ve graduated in the last couple years. My life continues to evolve on many levels, one of which is my romantic relationship. I have to leave you because I decided to move in with my guy, the first guy I’ve lived with, besides my brothers/dad, in all my 35 years. That’s a pretty big deal so I hope you won’t take it personally, SoKnox.
We had a good run and I think we both got a little from each other. I’m sure I’ll still come visit from time to time, although now being in between Turkey Creek and West Town Mall I can’t think of why. Oh I know, because you still have my teeny tiny house, and I hope you’ll treat my new tenants well (as soon as I find some, that is). So I won’t say goodbye, but rather, I’ll see ya soon!
And with that I say – hello West Knoxville! I hope you can change my preconceived notions about your newly constructed cookie cutter houses, lacking any real character; and your noisy, heavy traffic, and poorly timed red lights. Sure, the amenities are nice to have nearby, as is the greenway, but I hope you will reveal to me some heart, some soul, something that makes me feel like you care whether I’m here or not. I don’t just want a place to live – I want a community and I’m hopeful you can provide one for me!
Goodbye… hello!