Go East, young woman
So I'm sitting in my condo writing this post. I'm home, yet I'm not. I want to go home.
This latest trip back east for me has drummed it in to me how much I miss being around family. It was great to be able to spend extended time with Dad, with my aunt and uncle, with Guido and Ryan, and with my cousins. Unfortunately my mother couldn't make the trip up, nor could my siblings. We got to spend a day with Mom and Dad, and a few days with Steph and Bob.
Each time I return to Seattle now, I feel more and more like a visitor and less like I belong here. Seattle is a fantastic town. It has tons of cool things to do, clubs to join, and people to meet. In a few weeks I'm joining FKU (hee)--the Feminist Karate Union. We have great jobs, and I'm doing really well in school. Our friends are wonderful. But as time goes by, the more I want to be near our parents and our siblings. I want to be near Steph and Bob and their baby. I want to be near Aunt Linda and Uncle Paul. I don't want to live somewhere that a starter home costs upwards of $750K, and I'm done budgeting a week here and there and $1000 to go home. I want to have family within driving distance for the holidays. I want our kids, or hell if we don't have kids, our cats, to know their grandparents. I want to see our parents and our siblings more than twice a year.
I'm not sure why I've had a shift in my thinking. Part of it is definitely the fact that I'm getting older. Part of it is going to work and being around people who are dying. Nothing reminds you of how short your time is, and your loved one's time is, when you go to work on Saturday and last Thursday's patient is now dead.
Ultimately we're here in Seattle for jobs. But all the money in the world can't substitute for time missed with your family and your nearest and dearest. Lord knows, when it's over, it's over, and at that time the size of your bank account simply doesn't matter. I don't want to look around at that time and be surrounded by stuff and not much more. I want to be around my family. I want to be home.
This latest trip back east for me has drummed it in to me how much I miss being around family. It was great to be able to spend extended time with Dad, with my aunt and uncle, with Guido and Ryan, and with my cousins. Unfortunately my mother couldn't make the trip up, nor could my siblings. We got to spend a day with Mom and Dad, and a few days with Steph and Bob.
Each time I return to Seattle now, I feel more and more like a visitor and less like I belong here. Seattle is a fantastic town. It has tons of cool things to do, clubs to join, and people to meet. In a few weeks I'm joining FKU (hee)--the Feminist Karate Union. We have great jobs, and I'm doing really well in school. Our friends are wonderful. But as time goes by, the more I want to be near our parents and our siblings. I want to be near Steph and Bob and their baby. I want to be near Aunt Linda and Uncle Paul. I don't want to live somewhere that a starter home costs upwards of $750K, and I'm done budgeting a week here and there and $1000 to go home. I want to have family within driving distance for the holidays. I want our kids, or hell if we don't have kids, our cats, to know their grandparents. I want to see our parents and our siblings more than twice a year.
I'm not sure why I've had a shift in my thinking. Part of it is definitely the fact that I'm getting older. Part of it is going to work and being around people who are dying. Nothing reminds you of how short your time is, and your loved one's time is, when you go to work on Saturday and last Thursday's patient is now dead.
Ultimately we're here in Seattle for jobs. But all the money in the world can't substitute for time missed with your family and your nearest and dearest. Lord knows, when it's over, it's over, and at that time the size of your bank account simply doesn't matter. I don't want to look around at that time and be surrounded by stuff and not much more. I want to be around my family. I want to be home.
2 Comments:
This spoke to me, Cara, the trying to determine where home is... DC felt that way to me for so long, and then it sort of waned as I got ready to leave. And I love Ithaca, borderline obsessively, but it's still too new to truly feel like home to me. And some piece of me still thinks Lancaster is home because my parents are there, but clearly that's not really it either.
Anyway. That's just to say I hear you. And I think I speak for the entire east coast when I say it would be cool if you guys were closer. :)
The family stuff was the primary reason why we moved to NC too. I wouldn't want to live in Mississippi again (where my parent are), but the idea that I *could* drive to them if I needed to, or just having a 2-hour flight instead of an 8-hour flight, really makes it worthwhile. Plus everyone is so much closer to us here, it's really nice. Ultimately we settled on Raleigh b/c that's where Dave's company has an office, but I love how centrally located we are to all of our relatives.
Post a Comment
<< Home