This Champaign girl has moved around a bit in search of a feeling of family and stability. She’s finally found a good foundation of friends and job security just 45 minutes away in Bloomington. A few decades earlier we lived together in that same town for a few wild and eventful years.
 
  Listen to Natalie and I catch up after decades of not speaking to each other. A dysfunctional senior year in college lead to the demise of our friendship. Years, space, reflection and the podcast led to a reunion. Motherhood is a great common denominator and an excellent place to start over. Natalie talks about escaping a dead-end relationship with the father of her daughter. She had the strength and foresight to remove him from their lives before a bad relationship turned worse. Worried she would never have a maternal bond to this little human, she quickly learned that maternal instincts can kick in when they are needed the most. In just a short time after sending the dad packing, her decision was solidified when he died from alcoholism’s collateral damage. Now she appreciates quiet nights at home crocheting over dating and crowded bars. Raising a tween girl is providing all the drama she can handle! So glad to reconnect with someone who is a part of more core memories than I can count. Her spicy spirit, easy laugh and tell-it-like-it-is personality reminded me of all of the good times while fading away the bad. Happy to call her a friend again. 

Emily Harrington, here! Mom, wife, retired communications liaison and host of the HyperLocal(s) Podcast. Each week I bring you a pod where townies and transplants share their tales of tears and triumphs, losses and wins. In an effort to provide a way for those that don’t want a public podcast, but still have a story to tell friends and family, I’ve created, In Retrospect: A HyperLocal(s) Project, a private podcast. Visit hyperlocalscu.com/in-retrospect

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