Much like for everyone else, my 20s were a spiral staircase of formative experiences. In the short span of a decade, I learned what it was like to form meaningful bonds, break some of them, form new and better ones, and climb the seemingly endless rungs of that staircase that leads to adulthood -- or whatever you want to call it.
San Francisco played a major part in shaping the direction of that upward climb (yep, I even blogged about it). Yet, the concept of "home" was absent from my identity during the six years that I spent there. Don't get me wrong-- I loved that place. But was it me? Did it reflect who I am, and did I really want my life to become anchored there, in that city, in that state? Something wasn't right.
I had to wonder -- does anyone else in this goddamned place feel the same way?
For all intents and purposes the answer to that question is rhetorical. Everyone leaves home at some point to embark on that great existential search for "who they really are" blebbityblahblahI'msuchadeepthinkerblahblahblah. But whatever, there's a purpose to that: many of those people find their way back from whence they came, embarking on the next stage of adulthood with a new, greater appreciation for what home is and a more profound sense of identity.
I'm one of those people. (Surprised? Didn't think so.) This summer is the first step in that much needed journey back home to what I know best -- the sites, sounds, character, and integrity of life in the good ol' Mountain West. Each morning begins with a breath of fresh air and the realization that holy shit, I finally have more than just a rushed holiday to spend quality time with my family and friends. Whoa, I can go hiking and fishing and be all outdoorsy and do all the other things I was too self-absorbed or insecure to do before I moved away to California. And there's still more to explore!
Most of all, I also finally have a lot of free time. So I may as well blog about it.
Stay tuned for more tidbits as the summer unfolds...
.jpg)
San Francisco played a major part in shaping the direction of that upward climb (yep, I even blogged about it). Yet, the concept of "home" was absent from my identity during the six years that I spent there. Don't get me wrong-- I loved that place. But was it me? Did it reflect who I am, and did I really want my life to become anchored there, in that city, in that state? Something wasn't right.
I had to wonder -- does anyone else in this goddamned place feel the same way?
For all intents and purposes the answer to that question is rhetorical. Everyone leaves home at some point to embark on that great existential search for "who they really are" blebbityblahblahI'msuchadeepthinkerblahblahblah. But whatever, there's a purpose to that: many of those people find their way back from whence they came, embarking on the next stage of adulthood with a new, greater appreciation for what home is and a more profound sense of identity.
I'm one of those people. (Surprised? Didn't think so.) This summer is the first step in that much needed journey back home to what I know best -- the sites, sounds, character, and integrity of life in the good ol' Mountain West. Each morning begins with a breath of fresh air and the realization that holy shit, I finally have more than just a rushed holiday to spend quality time with my family and friends. Whoa, I can go hiking and fishing and be all outdoorsy and do all the other things I was too self-absorbed or insecure to do before I moved away to California. And there's still more to explore!
Most of all, I also finally have a lot of free time. So I may as well blog about it.
Stay tuned for more tidbits as the summer unfolds...
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment