I imagine that no matter where you grew up, there’s something that lets you know you’re home when you go back. I bet if you’re from Idaho and you’ve moved away, the site of that first potato when you go back to visit is probably pretty emotional. Or if you’re from Rhode Island and you return to that wonderfully not-at-all an island state and you see something that’s really small and you finally know you’re home.
Well I grew up in New Canaan, Connecticut. Everybody’s favorite wealthy suburb filled with old white people, white families, and just a dash of some more white people. Now there are a lot of things that remind me of home, but there’s really one sight that does it for me every time. At the New Canaan train station the following has been scrawled on a sign in magic marker, and the three authors of these statements say home to me more than anything else. Even, like, a guy who just stood around and literally said, “Home” a lot.
Dear Mom + Dad:
Please listen to 2-Pac’s “Me Against the World” + Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” maybe then we can talk.
That statement in and of itself is rather beautiful. A frustrated youth, unable to communicate with his/her parents writes a message with straight-forward instructions on how to remedy this problem on a sign at the Train Station. The Train Station, the symbol of the commuting lifestyle that has obviously torn this family apart. The anguished teen is such a beautifully ridiculous thing in rich, rich New Canaan. But things get better with the next two writings:
Mom + Dad:
Please listen to “I’m a spoiled teen brat” by suburban teen.
And, with someone who put even more thought and time into it.
Dear Mom + Dad:
Please listen to “Just Another New Canaan Air-Head Teenager” by Another Black Rapper Who Profits Off of New Canaan Air-Head Teenagers. Maybe then you can up my allowance.
(as tears splash against Bret’s laptop) Wow. Rich, confused kids lashing out at each other with sarcasm. So undeniably. home.
The New Canaan Train Station will be an essential part of the forthcoming TJ Monkey’s Reality Tour along with other fascinating attractions like various badass cars and the actual nook where Scott keeps his fan mail where I stand over him as he reads and I sing “I did it all for the Nook. Eeeee!”