We’ve been out of the country for just over two months, and I don’t feel homesick. I’m here with my husband, but all my friends and family are miles away physically, but I can still talk to them thanks to WhatsApp 😉
When I went away from home for university, I was excited about the freedom of not living with my parents, but I still had moments of homesickness. I missed being able to talk to my friends, hug my dad, and feel like I was somewhere familiar to me. It’s not surprising that it isn’t the same experience over forty years later. While maturity has something to do with it, I also think it’s because I don’t tend to attach myself to people, places, or things the way I used to.
Instead of missing the way things were back home, I’m embracing the change in pace. The slowness of where we are forced us to slow down as well, whether we like it or not! Rather than miss the friends we’ve left at home, we’re making new friends and connecting with like-minded people from all over the world!
During the holiday season, a friend I’ve known for over 20 years was visiting. While we were sitting at the beach having conversations with our spouses, she asked me if I could have pictured us experiencing what we were experiencing 20 years ago, and my response was a laughing no!
So much of my life has not gone the way I thought I would have wanted it to. Thanks to my experiences so far, I’ve learned that just because it didn’t happen the way I thought it would doesn’t mean things didn’t happen in my best interests!
If I could write a letter to my younger self, I would advise her to let go of seeing the world as black or white, wrong or right, and expecting life to happen in some order. I’d tell her to let go of trying to control everything and be willing to surrender.
I’ve just received my citizenship in another country. Something I’d never thought I would do. The process was nerve-wracking at the start, but it was smooth sailing once I overcame the first hurdle. Before I go back “home,” I’ll have another passport I can use and another country I can safely call home. ♥