Excerpt from A Week in Two Worlds: Stepping Into the Snow Globe The rain pattered softly against the RV windows, a steady rhythm that might have been soothing if I weren’t somewhere else entirely. I was supposed to be here—wrapped in a blanket, book in my lap, sipping tea and watching the water at Florence Marina State Park. But instead, I was inside a snow globe, watching cadets march in formation, sponsors glide across a ballroom floor, the world inside the glass shimmering with tradition and elegance. I had always seen Gordon that way—beautiful, untouchable, a place suspended in time. And in some ways, I had wanted to be there. To be a sponsor, to twirl in an evening gown at the Military Ball, to be part of the story that had been so carefully preserved. But when I shook the snow globe, another story appeared. A cafeteria where Black students had to strategize just to find a place to sit. A fundraiser where students were auctioned off, until someone finally turned the game on itself. A girl, just 14, stepping onto campus for the first time and realizing that the magic in the snow globe wasn’t meant for her. This week, I lived in two places at once—the quiet isolation of the RV and the noisy, living memories of Gordon in the 1960s. One was supposed to be an escape. The other, a confrontation with history. And in the end, I know which one I actually visited.
Author: Jessica Traylor, Ed.D.
Dr. Jessica Traylor is an educator, researcher, and student of life. Her areas of interest include psychology, biofeedback, holistic nutrition, meditation, yoga, Reiki, and hiking. Dr. Traylor's goal is to take what she has learned and translate it into simple, actionable steps to help others in their quest to live a happy, fulfilling life.
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