I love Norman Rockwell paintings, and this one always brings a smile to my face:
And I actually have alot in common with the sailor, if you made him a girl and instead of the tattoos being of women's names, make them places I've lived.
I was thinking about it the other day when I realized, much to my honest amazement, that I've lived in Hawaii almost 9 years! You see, 9 years is the maximum I've ever lived in a state. To briefly recap:
Born in Missouri, moved from there to Louisiana when I was 9 yrs old.
Lived in Louisiana until high school graduation, moved to California when I was 18.
Lived in Stockton CA until age 21, moved to North Carolina.
Lived in North Carolina for about 2 yrs, moved to Texas.
Lived in Texas for about 6 months, moved back to California.
Lived in California for 3 more years, moved to Hawaii.
I won't even go into how many times I moved WITHIN each state; to/from various towns or homes.
WHY all the moving, one may (legitimately) ask. No, we weren't on the run from the law or a military family (my dad got out of the Navy before he married my mom). There were always good reasons. My dad's retirement. Moving to a town with better schools and opportunities. Moving to help a family member. Moving for college. It was always something and my parents often joked that we had Gypsy blood, or that we were really hippies at heart. And the funny thing was, we liked moving so much. It's addicting to start over in a new place, although sad to say good-bye to friends. Thankfully Facebook has allowed me to reconnect with friends I made all over the country!
We are expert packers. We can pack up at house and move in 2 weeks (yes I've done that!). We know how to get settled and make new friends without constantly comparing the new place to the old place. We got used to moving to the point that one summer, I got back from youth camp and exhausted, slept in late the next day. When I woke up and stumbled into the living room, the first thing I saw was a new collection of boxes and after a big yawn, the first thing out of my mouth was; "Ooo, where are we moving to now?" My parents laughed about that reaction for awhile.
So anyway, the thing about all this moving around is that sometimes, we get restless. Very restless. The house starts to close in and smell funny....well, maybe the smell part is my imagination. But we get tired of the same old routines. The best way I can describe it is to remember this scene from the movie Chocolate, where the heroine goes out to the river and is just standing there, contemplating. Suddenly the North Wind starts to blow and you see her lift her head and take a deep breath while a strange light begins to burn in her eyes. In her soul, she answers the North Wind and knows....it's time to move on.
If you've ever felt it, you understand. If you haven't, you never can.
It's a joke in my family; we'll call someone up and in the course of the conversation, tell the other person that we feel the North Wind. They always understand and sometimes, agree. If my sister tells me she feels the North Wind, we are so connected that I feel it in my soul too.
So I said all of this to just say....nine years is a long time.
I love Hawaii and could live here for the rest of my life, but this little house is closing in on me.
It's starting to smell, and if I close my eyes and open my heart,
I feel the North Wind on my face.
i totally understand! Robert and I have been married almost 7 years and have lived in our current house for 21 months...that is the longest we have ever lived somewhere since we've been married. We have moved 4 times in our 7 yrs (3 of which were to different states!), so I can completely relate! And before we were married, I had lived in 25 houses, 5 states and 13 cities, and we were not military or on the run either! Whew!
ReplyDeleteWow Cheyenne, I had no idea! You've got me beat although in 6 years of marriage we've also moved 4 times! But you made me curious so I sat down to figure out my stats: I've lived in 6 states, 15 houses, and attended 9 churches and 5 schools.
ReplyDeleteThe funny thing is, I know people (and you probably do too) who have lived in ONE place (state or town) their entire life! One of my friends here lived in one house her entire life...the exact same address, phone number, etc. and her parents STILL live there! I simply cannot imagine it.
i can't imagine it either! i have quite a few friends who never left their state until their 20s, and some have never even been on a plane! i love the fact that i traveled so much...i think it has really helped me adapt easily to different circumstances i find myself in.
ReplyDeleteSince I've been married (8 years) we have lived in 4 states and moved houses 7 times. I guess they say that's a part of ministry. Who knows? When I was a kid we moved houses SO many times I lost count (we weren't in ministry) and I never attended a school any longer than 2 years.
ReplyDeleteI, for one, crave stability and would LOVE to settle (what I say now). But my issue is - I also wonder what living in "_______" would be like. Maybe I have gypsy blood in me somewhere.
Love Chocolat' - can totally relate to the longing of following the North Wind. My husband says I have the spirit of a wild horse that longs to run free. Sounds poetic, but comes from the song "Wild Horses" by N. Bedingfield - pretty much sums me up.