Tuesday, February 15, 2011

{place}

I've thought a lot lately about {place}.  By that I mean an actual physical location.  This most likely, is because I'm in the middle of a move.  AKA relocation.

Yesterday my husband Chip and I finished packing up our house on Lansill Road, after cleaning it thoroughly.  The plan was to close on the home we're purchasing - 284 E Loudon, this afternoon.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, that wasn't able to happen today.  But. . .  that's a story for another day. 

We lived on Lansill for 7 years - the longest we've lived anywhere as a married couple.  Therefore, the longest our children have lived in one {place}.  So, there are of course, significant memories associated with this home.  Holidays, birthdays, backyard kickball games, the garden we planted.  Allie losing a tooth.  Bringing Jamie home after his little league team won the championship at Cardinal Run Park.  Cooking together.  Listening to the kids practice various instruments.  

Honestly, I thought driving away would be a bit more emotional.  But it really wasn't.  Oh, I had a moment last week.  I usually don't, but that morning I turned on our bathroom radio.  Billie Joe Armstrong was singing, "Time of Your Life".  And I shed a few tears.  Because I hope Chip, Jamie and Allie had the time of their lives while living there.  I hope we made the most of it.  But the truth is, the actual title of that song is "Good Riddance".  And though I don't feel like shouting "Good Riddance" to our Lansill house would be appropriate, I do feel quite comfortable with moving on.  Really, I'm excited to.

I recently read the novel Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry.   From it, I took this gem:
"The place doesn't care if you love it.  But for your sake you had better love it.  For the sake of all else you love, you had better love it."
I've learned that to be true.   Not just pertaining to a house, or a farm like Hannah was describing in the book, but to a lot of other aspects of  life pertaining to {place}.   

I've run across some people who make it rather clear they don't like living in the {place} they're at.  Maybe because the people there are different than them.  Maybe because it's only temporary.  And I'll confess that I've been one of those people on different occasions.  And it didn't work out so well [for my sake or for the sake of all else I love].

So even though I'll miss the backyard magnolia tree and rose bush at the Lansill house, as well as the proximity to my workplace, the YMCA and the library, I pledge to love the home on Loudon.  I pledge to love the neighborhood and my neighbors and to deal with the discomfort that comes with moving across town.  Walking the dog will be different on Loudon than it was on Lansill.  [But for the sake of all I love, I had better love it].  Because I want it to work out well.

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