Bittersweet
This move is different than any other of our previous seven. (Yes, this is #8 in 12 years! :-/ *sigh*) With every single one in the past, I've either been completely gutted & devastated to have to leave or absolutely thrilled to pieces to get to the new locale. I've never truly felt both together...until now. I *am* excited for this new opportunity in a fun new place, bursting with culture & activity! But I'm also still so very sad to leave south Georgia... Y'all have listened to me wax poetic about how idyllic our sweet Southern life has been here since last February. It's been everything I'd longed for since we left ATL in 2006 and then some... Dream life... And it hurts to fly away...
I think it feels so dramatic, b/c this place feels just like the small Southern town I grew up in. Very non-transient - the people who are here have been here forever, along with their families; there's not much moving away. The roots & connections are extremely deep. They say, "You can never go home, again," and that's true: my hometown will never feel exactly like it did when I was growing up; it's grown, as I have. But living here feels JUST like my hometown *used* to, and what a rare treasure to find that sensation? We've only been here 15 months, yet I feel completely bonded, like it's my HOME. Part of that is having our kids old enough and engaged enough in school & the community to make solid connections through them. Part of it is, b/c it's just like where I grew up, I jumped right in here, clearly understanding how life flows. There was no learning curve whatsoever.
I feel like I'm leaving my hometown all over again to go out into the big, wide world...and just like the last time I left "home", almost everyone else is staying put. Staying in our safe, comfortable, familiar enclave.
I love travel, adventure, & worldly cultural pursuits, and I *am* excited for this new chapter of our lives...but unlike w/ my "original" hometown, I'm sad, b/c I don't think we'll have much opportunity to get back to visit this one. :'( Praise God for FB!!!
See also: how this happened, my pros & cons list, info begging, & house hunting...
I think it feels so dramatic, b/c this place feels just like the small Southern town I grew up in. Very non-transient - the people who are here have been here forever, along with their families; there's not much moving away. The roots & connections are extremely deep. They say, "You can never go home, again," and that's true: my hometown will never feel exactly like it did when I was growing up; it's grown, as I have. But living here feels JUST like my hometown *used* to, and what a rare treasure to find that sensation? We've only been here 15 months, yet I feel completely bonded, like it's my HOME. Part of that is having our kids old enough and engaged enough in school & the community to make solid connections through them. Part of it is, b/c it's just like where I grew up, I jumped right in here, clearly understanding how life flows. There was no learning curve whatsoever.
I feel like I'm leaving my hometown all over again to go out into the big, wide world...and just like the last time I left "home", almost everyone else is staying put. Staying in our safe, comfortable, familiar enclave.
I love travel, adventure, & worldly cultural pursuits, and I *am* excited for this new chapter of our lives...but unlike w/ my "original" hometown, I'm sad, b/c I don't think we'll have much opportunity to get back to visit this one. :'( Praise God for FB!!!
See also: how this happened, my pros & cons list, info begging, & house hunting...
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