I spent a little "free time" watching the movie Sweet Home Alabama this weekend. It's pretty sad when you equate "free time" with sitting on a gurney in the emergency room wearing one of the beautiful hospital gowns; but honestly I think it's the first time in about 2 years that I've actually watched a movie all the way through!
I'm not sure if you've ever seen this movie or not, but there's a line in the movie that refers to an idea that's crossed my mind several times...
Is it possible to have both "Roots" and "Wings"? Home is where you hang your heart, right? Or is it where your roots are planted deep into the ground? Maybe it's both.
I have friends that are way more "Wings" than "Roots", who seem to soar from location to location without ever looking back. State to state, home to home....
I could never be one of those people. I know it for sure.
I never thought I'd ever be able to call anyplace else home other than the home in which I was raised. Even up to the day I moved out of my childhood home, only days before my wedding, I was still nervous about how I would feel about my new "home". I really didn't believe anywhere else would ever feel like home to me like that again.
It's been almost 8 years now, since my husband and I moved our family here to Plainfield, IL, and I think I'd have to dig pretty deep if I ever wanted to try to pull these new roots now.
For a long time after we moved into our new house, I felt a pulled to my old familiar stomping grounds. It wasn't until after we started making new memories as a family, and made new friends in the area, that it really began to feel like home.
When I drive through my old hometown from time to time, it's funny how I can turn back the clock in my mind. So much has changed, but the memories of my childhood still come clearly flooding back.
This new home, and this life we've made for ourselves here in Plainfield, will be the memories our kids take with them throughout their lives.
Yep, home is where the heart is... and I really like where I've hung mine!
Home means something different to every person. Here's some other points of view:
Hope you are out of the hospital and all is better now.
Carolin Benjamin
Bob and Carolin Benjamin
The Benjamin Team
Keller Williams Integrity First Realty
Gold Canyon Arizona
I know the feeling!! There's no place like home, there's no place like home.
Hope you're spending lots of time with your feet up! :o)
Hope your feeling better Julie!
I've never lived in any town or state longer then 8yrs, I'm hoping FL will be roots for me.
Bob and Caroline: I'm home now! Feeling better too. Thanks!
Sarah: You got it!
Lysa: Sounds like you've got your "Roots and Wings"... or maybe lots of "roots"!
Great post! As usual :)
Glad to hear you are home and feeling better!
I did my junior year of college in Florence, Italy, and got pretty fluent (for simple conversations, anyway) in Italian and was surprised that they don't really have a word for "home". They have "house", but that's not the same thing. When I'm in Silicon Valley (as opposed to Boston, where I am this moment), I'm "home". Driving home, turning a bend if I can then see downtown San Jose it's "home".
Glad you're settled in and making great memories :)
Julie - Great Post! When I moved to Illinois I felt the same way ,a constant tugging back home, but then I realized that will always be my home and so will many more.
Good Luck in the contest! Illinois Rocks
Julie.... I basically agree with what you mentioned, between the roots and having both old and new memories. I truly think the basics of a home are the memories that you can cherish. This is basically the same principal that I used in my blog. Nice job...
Julie
Great post. I knowI'm a roots person. But from the day I was born I have had to live my life as a wings person. It's hard. My dream (kinda late now) has always been to be born in a wonderful little horse town where everyone knew everyone else and if you walked down the street or went into a store someone there would say, "Hi Roberta, how is it today." And they would care about your response. I have stopped counting my moves in this life. Well over 50. And I'm of an age where you can't go back and build those kind of memories. I would say to the younger audience, learn if you are a wings or roots person and be glad of what you are.
Great post Julie and good luck to you.