"You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."
- Miriam Adeney
I read an article the other day about “Living with your Wanderlust” that resonated strongly with how I’ve been feeling since moving home to Seattle after five years away. I thought that perhaps when I came home this time I would finally feel settled and ready to really dig in and cultivate roots here in the Northwest. To a certain extent I have felt that, it’s been exciting to spend more time with family and friends, sharing both important moments in each others' lives and mundane details like shopping together and getting coffee on a Saturday morning. But despite feeling a certain gratitude about being home, I’ve been surprised that that flame of desire to “go” hasn’t really been put out. There is a constant tug of war inside me-- one side wanting to be grounded and sow deep relationships and connection in one city and the other burning to see new places in the world, experience new cultures and make new friends. I’m coming to realize that this tension is a natural result of spending so much time abroad; I’m never truly at home anywhere because of the relationships I have everywhere. Do you ever feel like picking up and leaving town? Where is the next place on your travel wish list? I've been dreaming about finally getting my Spanish fluent and spending some time in Buenos Aires, but for now I'm soaking up springtime in Seattle.
(Gorgeous watercolor map can be purchased on Etsy)
Miriam Adeney was my professor at SPU. I liked her. This is a good quote. agreed.
ReplyDeleteTeresa and Jenny-- first of all, I ADORE this blog. You're doing such a fabulous job with it and I always look forward to new posts!
ReplyDeleteSecond, that article about living with your wanderlust really resonated with me. I recognized a lot of my own thoughts in that article-- moving to Seattle alone, building a life from scratch, wondering if I'm "doing it right," what I'm missing at home/with old friends/etc... I think it's easy to say you want to be alone and see what you're made of, but it can be remarkably difficult in practice.
I suppose my philosophy is, life goes on without you when you move, and the longer you're gone, the harder it is to fall back in where you left off. But part of the reason you go is to not return to the same "place" anyhow, right? I think it's a good thing to be appreciative of where you are and all it offers, but it's equally important to never be stagnant and passive. An insatiable sense of curiosity and an openness to change is what what keeps life wonderful, unpredictable, and maddening all at once. What better way to accomplish this than travel?
Anyway, great food for thought. Thanks for posting!
Greta
P.S. I'm absolutely dying to go to Thailand :)
Thanks for your thoughtful comment Greta! I'm glad you like the blog, we have a lot of fun with it.
DeleteI love what you said about the importance of curiosity and openness to change, and bravo to you for living out your philosophies! Thailand is also on my short list. We have friends in Vietnam so we've been talking about doing a trip to see both places. Hope to make that a reality in the next few years.
Love that quote, T! And such a great reflection - this is definitely an issue that I am constantly struggling with too.
ReplyDeleteSidenote: I've always just assumed you, P, Jon, and I would be taking that Buenos Aires trip together. Hope that's cool. ;)