Yeah, I'm homesick. I just completed a trip to Minneapolis with my wife. All her family lives there. I Also was up in New England in July with my family as well.
What is homesickness? I've got that feeling in my gut that tells me I yearn for home, whether it be my in-laws or my own family. A feeling of love & commitment that makes a person lonesome for the folks at "home."
We've been fortunate to visit our homes every one or two years. It had been two years for New England & one for Minneapolis. The time just flies by - it's never enough when you're visiting. The question of moving back home seems to come up - but which location would we choose? We tell people that our home is in the south now, but one never knows what end of life choices will bring.
Living in Pensacola, Florida Has been a wonderful choice for us the last 16 years. During that time we've had a chance to travel around the entire United States, but never found a better venue for what we need & want from our home.
Also, the issue that would have driven our decision is no longer with us. My parents have been gone for many years now, but my wife's folks have passed away recently. There is a bit of regret that we didn't move to Minneapolis sooner, but we had important retirement considerations that kept us here.
Also, it is nice to get family & friends to visit us where we live - a chance to share some Southern hospitality.
The homesickness will last a day or two & I've experienced it before. Living a lifetime away from those you love brings a case of it on now & then. As I age I get more sentimental, & I sometimes lament that it's only life's big events that bring us together - weddings & funerals among those.
So, my illness today will be brief & happy - I look forward to my next case!
Showing posts with label South. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South. Show all posts
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Native Transplant
My "tour of duty" in the South began in Pensacola, Florida. Next stop was the exotic climes of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, then San Diego, Dallas, New Orleans, Norfolk, Virginia, & finally, back to Pensacola, a period spanning 37 years. We are now ensconced in the Deep South. Welcome!
There's an expression in the military, "The best assignment is either where you're coming from or where you're going to, but never where you're at." Negative thinking doesn't work. Always make the best of life in the moment. Enjoy what you now have in hand.
Granted, I'm a lucky man. I've been fortunate in life & have a wonderful partner to share it with. The South is where we belong now. The term "native transplant" seems to fit.
There's an element of responsibility in being a rolling stone. We've now lived in our home here more than twice as long as any where else. We are geographically separated from our families, & it is incumbent upon us to stay in touch & visit as often as we can. Yes, we all live on a two way street, but I also try to live by the creed, "you meet people where they are, not where you want them to be."
This concept is essential when traveling or moving. If you are visiting a foreign speaking land, at the very least it is nice to know hello, please, thank you & goodbye in the native tongue.
Culture shock can be minimized by doing a bit of research, but in the end experience is key. That is probably why people like to keep going back to familiar places.
The culture of the South exists in a large geographic area sometimes referred to as "Dixie." Second only to the "West" in size by my reckoning, I would say that Dixie stands alone in regional cultural depth. By this I mean although there are a lot of differences, there is an abundance of warmth, openness & congeniality making it easy for the casual visitor and transplant like myself to acclimate. Y'all come down now, ya hear?
So where am I transplanted from, you might ask? I was born & grew up in New England, & forever in my heart I am a New Englander. My Yankee blood can be traced back eleven generations to the landing of the Mayflower in 1620, on Plymouth rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts. I have the credentials needed to join the Mayflower Society, but never have(what's the point I wonder?)
The South has Sons & Daughters of the Confederacy, & a rich heritage that predates Jamestown. Some say that the South is still fighting the War Between the States. To those folks I say put down your arms, embrace the past & present, & build the future together.
So now a "for real" Yankee is living in the Deep South, one who calls himself a native transplant. What does this mean to me? For one thing I am no longer on the cusp of the learning curve. I've settled in. I'm comfortable. For another, my roots, though not deep, have penetrated the topsoil & are well nourished.
The autumn of my life may well be upon me soon & I look forward to the gentle seasonal change of the South.
There's an expression in the military, "The best assignment is either where you're coming from or where you're going to, but never where you're at." Negative thinking doesn't work. Always make the best of life in the moment. Enjoy what you now have in hand.
Granted, I'm a lucky man. I've been fortunate in life & have a wonderful partner to share it with. The South is where we belong now. The term "native transplant" seems to fit.
There's an element of responsibility in being a rolling stone. We've now lived in our home here more than twice as long as any where else. We are geographically separated from our families, & it is incumbent upon us to stay in touch & visit as often as we can. Yes, we all live on a two way street, but I also try to live by the creed, "you meet people where they are, not where you want them to be."
This concept is essential when traveling or moving. If you are visiting a foreign speaking land, at the very least it is nice to know hello, please, thank you & goodbye in the native tongue.
Culture shock can be minimized by doing a bit of research, but in the end experience is key. That is probably why people like to keep going back to familiar places.
The culture of the South exists in a large geographic area sometimes referred to as "Dixie." Second only to the "West" in size by my reckoning, I would say that Dixie stands alone in regional cultural depth. By this I mean although there are a lot of differences, there is an abundance of warmth, openness & congeniality making it easy for the casual visitor and transplant like myself to acclimate. Y'all come down now, ya hear?
So where am I transplanted from, you might ask? I was born & grew up in New England, & forever in my heart I am a New Englander. My Yankee blood can be traced back eleven generations to the landing of the Mayflower in 1620, on Plymouth rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts. I have the credentials needed to join the Mayflower Society, but never have(what's the point I wonder?)
The South has Sons & Daughters of the Confederacy, & a rich heritage that predates Jamestown. Some say that the South is still fighting the War Between the States. To those folks I say put down your arms, embrace the past & present, & build the future together.
So now a "for real" Yankee is living in the Deep South, one who calls himself a native transplant. What does this mean to me? For one thing I am no longer on the cusp of the learning curve. I've settled in. I'm comfortable. For another, my roots, though not deep, have penetrated the topsoil & are well nourished.
The autumn of my life may well be upon me soon & I look forward to the gentle seasonal change of the South.
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