So beautifully written and so much resonates with me. My husband and I just retired and moved from Lexington, KY to Seattle. Pared down everything we owned to a 9x12 pod (hard but truly necessary). Gave away all those books and everything else hoarded from raising a family in a 3000sqft home with a yard. We’re renting now — a lovely small home and we are both happy to be where we are. For us, the pandemic solidified how important relationships are and not stuff, and as you might have guessed there are grandchildren that precipitated this move. I now have a few empty kitchen cupboards (!!!) and am learning to be wet and go on with my hike/walk…my mother always did say “you’re not sugar, you won’t melt” 😆
I love this piece. As someone who recently sold a house and is renting a (mostly badly) furnished one in a new city I’ve never lived in, I’ve also had the urge to shout “not mine!” whenever someone comes over. But the freedom of “not mine” is also wonderful.
Thank you for this! My husband and I moved to Belgium 6 months ago from Boston and so much of this resonated with me in ways I didn’t even know I felt; particularly the way I immediately out myself as a foreigner with my poor Dutch accent but also my new comfort with being a bit wet at all times. Thank you!
I loved hearing about all the past versions of yourself, and the line about growing in tolerance for rain and cold. Glorious. Makes me think, also: what I am I growing in tolerance of, if we are all changing every second just like these children? Don't have the answer but it's worth asking, and maybe noting. Their changes are so dramatic and palpable, mostly a joy to witness but I can see how one's desire for roots would be palpable especially in a foreign land. My vote is for your fancy kitchen gadgets, lol.
"What I want for her is what I want for myself: the courage to move between worlds." I loved this line, especially as I struggle with making a decision on where to send my child to school next year it really resonated.
That is lovely! I’m an American, raising a Scottish child with my English husband, and while language isn’t the issue, accents are. He’s ceding his posh English and long American A for a more Scottish brogue. It’s weird to think about how his identity shifts along with his accent, and how foreign he must sound to my parents.
So beautifully written and so much resonates with me. My husband and I just retired and moved from Lexington, KY to Seattle. Pared down everything we owned to a 9x12 pod (hard but truly necessary). Gave away all those books and everything else hoarded from raising a family in a 3000sqft home with a yard. We’re renting now — a lovely small home and we are both happy to be where we are. For us, the pandemic solidified how important relationships are and not stuff, and as you might have guessed there are grandchildren that precipitated this move. I now have a few empty kitchen cupboards (!!!) and am learning to be wet and go on with my hike/walk…my mother always did say “you’re not sugar, you won’t melt” 😆
I love this piece. As someone who recently sold a house and is renting a (mostly badly) furnished one in a new city I’ve never lived in, I’ve also had the urge to shout “not mine!” whenever someone comes over. But the freedom of “not mine” is also wonderful.
Thank you for this! My husband and I moved to Belgium 6 months ago from Boston and so much of this resonated with me in ways I didn’t even know I felt; particularly the way I immediately out myself as a foreigner with my poor Dutch accent but also my new comfort with being a bit wet at all times. Thank you!
I loved hearing about all the past versions of yourself, and the line about growing in tolerance for rain and cold. Glorious. Makes me think, also: what I am I growing in tolerance of, if we are all changing every second just like these children? Don't have the answer but it's worth asking, and maybe noting. Their changes are so dramatic and palpable, mostly a joy to witness but I can see how one's desire for roots would be palpable especially in a foreign land. My vote is for your fancy kitchen gadgets, lol.
"What I want for her is what I want for myself: the courage to move between worlds." I loved this line, especially as I struggle with making a decision on where to send my child to school next year it really resonated.
what an adventure you are having. personally, I am ready for you to come home:)
"the courage to move between worlds" - ABSOLUTELY beautiful! 😍
That is lovely! I’m an American, raising a Scottish child with my English husband, and while language isn’t the issue, accents are. He’s ceding his posh English and long American A for a more Scottish brogue. It’s weird to think about how his identity shifts along with his accent, and how foreign he must sound to my parents.