Stability of place – something I know nothing about and have always longed for. My family moved constantly when I was growing up – born in San Antonio, Texas, adopted and whisked off to Southern California when I was 3 days old. Moved across the country to Maryland when I was 6 months old. Lived there until I was 2, then off to New Jersey where we lived in three places until we moved to Michigan when I was 6. Lived there longest – until I was 15, then an unexpected move to Florida. College in Tennessee, then to San Francisco for a couple of years, then back to Maryland, where I spent most of my adult life. Left in 2015 to be near family, most of whom had moved to Tennessee and Alabama. Tennessee was not for me. Wanted to go home to Maryland but couldn’t afford the cost of the move or living there. Came to Atlanta, Georgia for work, which disappeared within 5 weeks. Now, here I am. Rootless and Gypsy. Mostly grateful to have a roof over my head and the ability to work, and work to do. But it surely is lonely. I think it’s not place that matters as much as people. Community. Welcome. Still looking for that, while keeping in mind that I might not recognize it if it came up and bit me. On the upside, I have become very adaptable. I suspect that may be an important skill in the next few years.
I don’t get my identity from place, which is not altogether a bad thing.
It all sounds a bit lonely,
dear Dawn Elaine,
but am happy that you find community here.
I too,
learned how to be adaptable,
but the last few times,
I started to feel just plain tired.
I hope you are able to stay where you are
long enough to get your bearings.
My heart is with you
with love . . . ♥
I totally agree that it’s not the place, it’s the people. Community is big to me, too, especially having moved twice in the last year. I am finding community with the yoga studio I have been going to. This group is big into community and doing things outside of the studio. I hope you can find some community and some peace where you are.
I also moved quite a lot as a youngster due to my Dad’s career and have always believed it made it harder to make friends as I got older. Even after moving to the town I grew up in when I was in 4th grade I had to change elementary schools and make new friends. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Dawn Elaine. That move at 15 must have been especially difficult.
I remember being 15, having also lived in the same city since I was 5 or 6.
Leaving everything I knew at that age would have been such a huge upheaval for me.
Thank you, Dawn Elaine for sharing about the many moves that you have made in your life.
It sounds so very difficult.
I am grateful to know you, Dawn Elaine,
the person that you are,
who has come through it all.
You certainly have been mobile, Dawn Elaine. My daughter and son-in-law along with their two children have moved a bunch in the past 10 or so years. I like to say, That no dust settles under their feet.
Place
has been extremely instrumental in shaping my perspective . . .
each one
has given me new ways of being,
new ways of looking at things,
and the opportunity to see the world
through the eyes of other people,
and other cultures.
I’ve absorbed the communities of both humble
and well-to-do societies,
rubbed shoulders
with missionaries from all over the world . . .
I’ve lived in the slums of Chicago,
the lower east side in NYC,
where a woman
fed the cockroaches living in her medicine cabinet,
and life was not safe.
Miraculously,
I was.
I lived in a fish house with running water in the summer
(a 9 x 12 lobsterman’s workshop on a bay in Maine),
in a car in several of our National Parks
with an 8 year old, a psychopath,
two dogs,
and a cat.
I lived briefly on a Navajo Indian reservation in Utah,
and was given a rare, child’s eye view inside of a hogan . . .
with my ex-husband and his wife in San Francisco,
the basement apartment in a mansion in Hudson, NY,
the desert town of Apache Junction in Arizona,
and many other places,
not to bore you to death.
But in each of the cultures I embedded myself,
I’ve learned something new about me
and many things new about others.
It has all broadened my scope,
and made me wiser and more tolerant of others’ points of view.
I also appreciate more
the natural beauty of this earth,
our home,
and have a deeper respect for her.
I see that there is more than meets the eye,
in our earth and sea and sky,
and the vast populations of life of all kinds.
How could I possibly know it all,
in my little pea brain,
not to mention exploring the further universe.
Perhaps though,
I can see a hint of the Miracle
when I look deeply into the eyes of another
or breathe in the scent of spring’s first lilacs. ♥
What a great question to ponder over. I am definitely not a city person. I lived in Boston one summer for a bit. A nice place to visit but wouldn’t want to live there! I grew up 20 miles outside of Boston not really close to anything including water! It was a very safe place to grow up though. I lived in Northern KY when my children were younger and although I loved the spring temps coming sooner I missed the Ocean and New England. It gave me a better appreciation for the history of New England, the beautiful country side full of stone walls, lots of trees and fresh seafood! I now live in Rhode Island the Ocean state and like how small it is , close to the airport (nice and small!), lots of water and all of my health care needs. My parents came from upstate NY, the last time I visited the area I felt grateful that my parents did move. Travel also gives me an appreciation of place that I call home. Loved reading everyone’s reflection today : )
Robin, Fun and livable don’t play nicely. What you said about Boston, I can imagine saying the same thing about Orlando. I’m very sure that if I had the opportunity to go to Disney World everyday, it would feel like eating my favorite noodle dish everyday. It would just get old. More fun also means more conflicts.
I don´t know. The people living here shape my perspective for sure, as living here means some peaceful atmosphere since long, fostering a sensation of stability, calm and kindness as a basic life perspective. Nothing has been destroyed by war. When i imagine what it must be for so many kindred people in so many places on Earth, it makes me feel very sad, and often during meditation, my wish for light and well being for these people is with them. It is a huge gift to be allowed to live in a country where nobody needs to suffer hunger, cold or wuold be missing essential basic needs. It is a priviledge of sorts and i am deeply grateful for this precious gift and i would dearly wish this for each and everyone. Appreciation, kindness, awareness of the beauty outside available for all who live here and gratefulness are a result of experiencing it. 🙏✨🙏
I hope with all my heart,
dear Joseph,
that you are right. ♥
3
L
Loc Tran
1 week ago
Joseph, I see where you’re going with this. If history’s any indicator, we certainly can. Afterall, we survived: The Great Depression, World war 1 and 2, The Vietnam War, and the ressession of 2008 to name some.
1
Barb C
1 week ago
Place has defined what feels like home, for one thing. I grew up outside Lewiston, Idaho, surrounded by wheat fields. The Snake and Clearwater Rivers come together in a canyon held by dry hills. I now live in wet western Washington and I wouldn’t trade our mossy trees and smell of tide flats for those dry hills for anything, and yet coming into that space or another that resembles it (like Wenatchee, WA, where the Columbia River has formed a valley between very similar hills) I feel “home” at a cellular level.
I also remember the change of perspective of what counts as home after moving. I lived in Spokane, WA for years and traveled to Seattle almost every year for decades to visit family. Heading back to Spokane there was a point around Sprague Lake when I’d have that feeling that we didn’t have too much farther to go for me to be home after a very familiar drive. After living in the Seattle area for a couple of years I remember driving back from Spokane and reaching the transition point between the wet side and the dry side in the Cascade Range. I realized a switch had flipped in my brain so that now “home” lay in the west, not the east. It was the mountains and forests that signaled home now, not the dry fields with trees along the highway coming toward Spokane.
Then there are the homes. I can close my eyes, walk through the door, and visit the hallways and rooms of almost every house I’ve lived in. Some of the details of apartments I rented are a bit fuzzy, but the homes I’ve been able to purchase each remain to give me a place to reside in memory. I’ve loved each for different reasons, didn’t want to lose them at times and at other times was happy to leave them behind because I had changed.
Another way I think about place: After years and years of being first a volunteer, then a professional advocate, and now a state employee working in transportation, I look at places for the way the built environment shapes them. Who’s invited and welcome, whose movements are constrained, who is made vulnerable through lack of a safe place to walk or bike, whether this feels like a place I want to stay or one I’d just as soon get away from as soon as possible because it’s hostile, noisy, and polluted.
And yet another: People make the place. We now live in Olympia, WA, and it is hands down the friendliest place I’ve ever lived. Within a day of moving into our house two different couples who live on our street came by to introduce themselves and the next door neighbor (who’s not mobile) sent one of her daughters over with a couple of bags of frozen cookie dough and a half-size cookie sheet. I’d never received a housewarming gift from a stranger before. When I walk or bike people smile at me and I smile at them. We felt that friendliness even before moving here when we were scouting neighborhoods. Places with people out walking their dogs, kids on bikes, and smiles were places I could envision myself living. I also looked at the yard signs (we were house-hunting in 2020) and that sent strong signals. Similar to my desire to stay in the natural ecosystem we now live in, I wouldn’t want to live in a hostile social environment.
I live in a very liberal city in a somewhat liberal state. I moved here right out of college from a very small town in the southwest. It has been such a magical place to grow into maturity, build a career and home, marry and have a wonderful set of friends. I would not have had any of this had I not moved. I treasure both places, but home is here in the Northwest.
The place and time where I grew up and live, is what forms my perspective. I am of this place. A place where many different people and cultures interact. This exposure has given me a wider lens to view my world. I read this quote from Mark Twain yesterday. I think it applies.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
Charlie, I picked up a book from a Little Free Library that’s waiting for me to read it one of these days: Travel as a Political Act, by Rick Steves. He lives in my state and has such a wonderful perspective that echoes this quote. Thanks for sharing it.
I too,
feel this to be so true,
dear Charlie . . .
I grew up in many places,
and have moved to a fairly poor county in New York State.
Many people who live here
have never been out of the county,
let alone the state.
Worldviews are smaller here.
Mark Twain was right.
Thank you for offering this perspective.
“If you ain’t where you’re at, you’re no where.” The Character Colonel Potter on one of the Christmas episodes of the TV series, MASH.
Following a health issue that brought my son to my home in Louisiana to care for me, it became necessary for me to move closer to my son. I did not want to move. I lived in a small Louisiana community with a state college, lots of interesting folks, a major tourist attraction and I loved my home and neighborhood. That move to NE Kansas was 6 years ago. It has been a difficult adjustment. Even though I love being around my son and I cherish being part of his daily life, I miss my friends, the wonderful university music, art,and theatre programs I enjoyed at minimal cost. I was a sponsor for the creative arts department and the students were like sons and daughters to me. It’s been a challenge and adjustment has been slow but thanks to my gratefulness practice, my struggle and bouts with depression have been minimal. My physical place has not shaped my perspective but
gratefulness has helped me to see it with a healthy perspective, to give thanks for my new home and the new experiences and relationships.
If you read my response to Charlie’s post,
dear Carol,
you might see that like you,
I feel a bit like a stranger in a strange land.
I have gardens though,
and a few friends,
and of course the beautiful landscapes.
They,
and places like this,
people like you
sustain me . . .
thank you. ♥
Sparrow, I’m back in my home town but it is definitely not the place it was in the 1940’s through 60’s. I’ve been blessed to experience several different parts of Louisiana, New Orleans (cosmopolitan) Arcadia (Let the good times roll!) , west central (more like east Texas), North Louisiana (the Bible belt) and my beloved Natchitoches (North Central Louisiana is a hodge-podge of it all).
I also spent time living in the southwest, going from 100% humidity to 2% humidity. Arizona is an interesting state–lots of political upheaval.
I would love to experience living in a very liberal area but my path has never taken me there, doubt I will ever move again. I am thrilled that I have found that I can have a green burial here.
I identify with your words:”…a stranger in a strange land.” That said, I think our real home is in our heart and gratefulness helps me put my monkey my at rest in my heart!
Living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan influenced my perspective on place forever. It was one of seven distinct “places” I have lived in my life. When I left there 12 years ago, I wanted to try living in a totally new environment, which is living in a downtown neighborhood, where I could walk or bike to most everything I needed or wanted to do. There are many things I miss about the UP, living on 10 acres, where the closest grocery store was 35 miles away, to where I now live on half of a city lot, and can bike to our food coop in 5 minutes. What has been reinforced in my perspective is that no matter where I live, there are going to be plusses and minuses. And what is essential to my well being must be sought out wherever I live. So now I go to the woods, go to the water, go to where the sky is dark. When I lived in the UP, I would go to the city for culture, amazing food prepared by someone else, diversity. As Joseph said, no place is better or worse than another. Just a different shade. Will I always be a small city person? Time will tell. I am so blessed to have the options to consider.
Well said, my Friend! I had to figure things out when my family decided (without my input) that we should all move. This has taken its toll in a lot of ways, especially leaving friends behind. I guess I’d say that, at best, I’m still figuring things out.
You’ve often mentioned how tough that move has been for you, Pilgrim. I’m glad you’re here in this community, for what it’s worth, although it isn’t the same as having your people and places right there.
At first I was baffled by the question. As I pondered an answer and read the posts, I am grateful to live in the places I did. I believe the members of our city community are kind and caring. We live in a diverse area with several ethnic groups. I believe we learn from each others. My perspective is we are more alike than different.
Well, living in the United States is shaping most peoples perspectives as soooo many changes (and not good ones) are taking place.
I still value our freedoms and still am grateful to live here as a woman compared to some other Countries where woman have no rights.
Each State within the US has different perspectives, from living up in the North, to the South, East/West…
Good thoughtful Daily Question, looking forward to reading others responses on this.
It’s International Women’s Day and I may go to the rally at our state capitol. I take that right for granted (as today’s quote reminds me), and yet someone posted tips for going to protests that also remind me I’m not guaranteed safety in that setting. But then, I used to live in Coeur d’Alene where the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations marched down the street and I protested them.
“There are times when you must speak, not because you are going to change the other person, but because if you don’t speak, they have changed you.” –Mary Quinn
Michele, your 1st statement is very true. The US is a crazy country. Having moved to the US when I was 1.5yrs old and being close to my family, my stance on freedom is similar to yours. We certainly have more of it here compared to 3rd-world countries.
Living in peaceful states like Minnesota makes it easier for me to take care of my well-being and have more autonomy in my life. The only places I’d want to live outside of Minnesota are Alaska or Europe. I can see myself being a Minnesotan for the rest of my life.
My Ngoc, we’ll always agree on that for sure. This is 1 area couples must agree on no matter how many disagreements they may have. Spouses having different addresses is sketchy.
I find that where I live is truly affecting my perspective. When I was in the crowded city, my life felt like 24 hours were never enough for me. Now, I live under the roof of this house, in Minnesota. I’m still busy but I’m able to find some joy in my 24 hours a day. My perspective has shifted from “being busy is a sign of success” to being grateful is a sign of my success. May everyone find some peace and joy on the weekend! ☀
Place. Space. Safe Places. Safe Spaces. In the countryside. In a park in the city. Both have plants and trees. In the sea. In a swimming pool. Both contain water. In a restaurant. In our kitchen. Both contain food. So many different places and spaces to be in this world that provides for us. I have always had the proclivity to live a life out of doors and in unpopulated places. I enjoy being able to see the sunrise and sunsets, unimpeded by man-made structures. I enjoy dark skies and the ability to appreciate the stars in the dark void. I have my perspective on beauty, joy, being alone, somewhat self-sufficient in my food production, home heating by gathering and burning wood. Is it better than others who live in population centers. No. Just a shade different.
Joseph, I feel so fortunate to be able to see the stars and planets at night from my neighborhood. I’m in a relatively small town now (pop. ~50K). When I lived in big cities the light pollution washed out the darkness. I’d grown up in the country with a sky spangled with stars and I want to be able to see that. I don’t get the full effect but it isn’t zero.
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Stability of place – something I know nothing about and have always longed for. My family moved constantly when I was growing up – born in San Antonio, Texas, adopted and whisked off to Southern California when I was 3 days old. Moved across the country to Maryland when I was 6 months old. Lived there until I was 2, then off to New Jersey where we lived in three places until we moved to Michigan when I was 6. Lived there longest – until I was 15, then an unexpected move to Florida. College in Tennessee, then to San Francisco for a couple of years, then back to Maryland, where I spent most of my adult life. Left in 2015 to be near family, most of whom had moved to Tennessee and Alabama. Tennessee was not for me. Wanted to go home to Maryland but couldn’t afford the cost of the move or living there. Came to Atlanta, Georgia for work, which disappeared within 5 weeks. Now, here I am. Rootless and Gypsy. Mostly grateful to have a roof over my head and the ability to work, and work to do. But it surely is lonely. I think it’s not place that matters as much as people. Community. Welcome. Still looking for that, while keeping in mind that I might not recognize it if it came up and bit me. On the upside, I have become very adaptable. I suspect that may be an important skill in the next few years.
I don’t get my identity from place, which is not altogether a bad thing.
It all sounds a bit lonely,
dear Dawn Elaine,
but am happy that you find community here.
I too,
learned how to be adaptable,
but the last few times,
I started to feel just plain tired.
I hope you are able to stay where you are
long enough to get your bearings.
My heart is with you
with love . . . ♥
I totally agree that it’s not the place, it’s the people. Community is big to me, too, especially having moved twice in the last year. I am finding community with the yoga studio I have been going to. This group is big into community and doing things outside of the studio. I hope you can find some community and some peace where you are.
I also moved quite a lot as a youngster due to my Dad’s career and have always believed it made it harder to make friends as I got older. Even after moving to the town I grew up in when I was in 4th grade I had to change elementary schools and make new friends. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Dawn Elaine. That move at 15 must have been especially difficult.
I remember being 15, having also lived in the same city since I was 5 or 6.
Leaving everything I knew at that age would have been such a huge upheaval for me.
Thank you, Dawn Elaine for sharing about the many moves that you have made in your life.
It sounds so very difficult.
I am grateful to know you, Dawn Elaine,
the person that you are,
who has come through it all.
You certainly have been mobile, Dawn Elaine. My daughter and son-in-law along with their two children have moved a bunch in the past 10 or so years. I like to say, That no dust settles under their feet.
Place
has been extremely instrumental in shaping my perspective . . .
each one
has given me new ways of being,
new ways of looking at things,
and the opportunity to see the world
through the eyes of other people,
and other cultures.
I’ve absorbed the communities of both humble
and well-to-do societies,
rubbed shoulders
with missionaries from all over the world . . .
I’ve lived in the slums of Chicago,
the lower east side in NYC,
where a woman
fed the cockroaches living in her medicine cabinet,
and life was not safe.
Miraculously,
I was.
I lived in a fish house with running water in the summer
(a 9 x 12 lobsterman’s workshop on a bay in Maine),
in a car in several of our National Parks
with an 8 year old, a psychopath,
two dogs,
and a cat.
I lived briefly on a Navajo Indian reservation in Utah,
and was given a rare, child’s eye view inside of a hogan . . .
with my ex-husband and his wife in San Francisco,
the basement apartment in a mansion in Hudson, NY,
the desert town of Apache Junction in Arizona,
and many other places,
not to bore you to death.
But in each of the cultures I embedded myself,
I’ve learned something new about me
and many things new about others.
It has all broadened my scope,
and made me wiser and more tolerant of others’ points of view.
I also appreciate more
the natural beauty of this earth,
our home,
and have a deeper respect for her.
I see that there is more than meets the eye,
in our earth and sea and sky,
and the vast populations of life of all kinds.
How could I possibly know it all,
in my little pea brain,
not to mention exploring the further universe.
Perhaps though,
I can see a hint of the Miracle
when I look deeply into the eyes of another
or breathe in the scent of spring’s first lilacs. ♥
You have lived so much in your years, dear Sparrow.
I was very interested to read more about your life.
Thank you for sharing here.
♥️♥️♥️
I don’t exactly know,
dear Mary,
how it happened . . .
it’s where my boat has carried me.
I am pretty settled now. 🙂
I knew a fellow named Billy who sold his farm here in the San Luis Valley, Colo, and moved to Apache Junction.
small world,
dear Joseph . . . 🙂
What a great question to ponder over. I am definitely not a city person. I lived in Boston one summer for a bit. A nice place to visit but wouldn’t want to live there! I grew up 20 miles outside of Boston not really close to anything including water! It was a very safe place to grow up though. I lived in Northern KY when my children were younger and although I loved the spring temps coming sooner I missed the Ocean and New England. It gave me a better appreciation for the history of New England, the beautiful country side full of stone walls, lots of trees and fresh seafood! I now live in Rhode Island the Ocean state and like how small it is , close to the airport (nice and small!), lots of water and all of my health care needs. My parents came from upstate NY, the last time I visited the area I felt grateful that my parents did move. Travel also gives me an appreciation of place that I call home. Loved reading everyone’s reflection today : )
Robin, Fun and livable don’t play nicely. What you said about Boston, I can imagine saying the same thing about Orlando. I’m very sure that if I had the opportunity to go to Disney World everyday, it would feel like eating my favorite noodle dish everyday. It would just get old. More fun also means more conflicts.
I don´t know. The people living here shape my perspective for sure, as living here means some peaceful atmosphere since long, fostering a sensation of stability, calm and kindness as a basic life perspective. Nothing has been destroyed by war. When i imagine what it must be for so many kindred people in so many places on Earth, it makes me feel very sad, and often during meditation, my wish for light and well being for these people is with them. It is a huge gift to be allowed to live in a country where nobody needs to suffer hunger, cold or wuold be missing essential basic needs. It is a priviledge of sorts and i am deeply grateful for this precious gift and i would dearly wish this for each and everyone. Appreciation, kindness, awareness of the beauty outside available for all who live here and gratefulness are a result of experiencing it. 🙏✨🙏
It is indeed
a huge gift,
dear Ose,
to live in this country,
(let’s hope it lasts)
and I remind myself of this
every single day. ♥
You got that right, Sparrow. Enjoy it while it lasts. The political climate is very toxic.
Indeed,
dear Loc . . . ♥
The Nation survived Nixon and Kent State. My money is on that It will survive the current administration.
I hope with all my heart,
dear Joseph,
that you are right. ♥
Joseph, I see where you’re going with this. If history’s any indicator, we certainly can. Afterall, we survived: The Great Depression, World war 1 and 2, The Vietnam War, and the ressession of 2008 to name some.
Place has defined what feels like home, for one thing. I grew up outside Lewiston, Idaho, surrounded by wheat fields. The Snake and Clearwater Rivers come together in a canyon held by dry hills. I now live in wet western Washington and I wouldn’t trade our mossy trees and smell of tide flats for those dry hills for anything, and yet coming into that space or another that resembles it (like Wenatchee, WA, where the Columbia River has formed a valley between very similar hills) I feel “home” at a cellular level.
I also remember the change of perspective of what counts as home after moving. I lived in Spokane, WA for years and traveled to Seattle almost every year for decades to visit family. Heading back to Spokane there was a point around Sprague Lake when I’d have that feeling that we didn’t have too much farther to go for me to be home after a very familiar drive. After living in the Seattle area for a couple of years I remember driving back from Spokane and reaching the transition point between the wet side and the dry side in the Cascade Range. I realized a switch had flipped in my brain so that now “home” lay in the west, not the east. It was the mountains and forests that signaled home now, not the dry fields with trees along the highway coming toward Spokane.
Then there are the homes. I can close my eyes, walk through the door, and visit the hallways and rooms of almost every house I’ve lived in. Some of the details of apartments I rented are a bit fuzzy, but the homes I’ve been able to purchase each remain to give me a place to reside in memory. I’ve loved each for different reasons, didn’t want to lose them at times and at other times was happy to leave them behind because I had changed.
Another way I think about place: After years and years of being first a volunteer, then a professional advocate, and now a state employee working in transportation, I look at places for the way the built environment shapes them. Who’s invited and welcome, whose movements are constrained, who is made vulnerable through lack of a safe place to walk or bike, whether this feels like a place I want to stay or one I’d just as soon get away from as soon as possible because it’s hostile, noisy, and polluted.
And yet another: People make the place. We now live in Olympia, WA, and it is hands down the friendliest place I’ve ever lived. Within a day of moving into our house two different couples who live on our street came by to introduce themselves and the next door neighbor (who’s not mobile) sent one of her daughters over with a couple of bags of frozen cookie dough and a half-size cookie sheet. I’d never received a housewarming gift from a stranger before. When I walk or bike people smile at me and I smile at them. We felt that friendliness even before moving here when we were scouting neighborhoods. Places with people out walking their dogs, kids on bikes, and smiles were places I could envision myself living. I also looked at the yard signs (we were house-hunting in 2020) and that sent strong signals. Similar to my desire to stay in the natural ecosystem we now live in, I wouldn’t want to live in a hostile social environment.
A delightful question to think about!
I think I told you this but my son lives in Malaga just outside of Wenatchee.
I live in a very liberal city in a somewhat liberal state. I moved here right out of college from a very small town in the southwest. It has been such a magical place to grow into maturity, build a career and home, marry and have a wonderful set of friends. I would not have had any of this had I not moved. I treasure both places, but home is here in the Northwest.
Hello, fellow Northwesterner! I shared similar feelings.
The place and time where I grew up and live, is what forms my perspective. I am of this place. A place where many different people and cultures interact. This exposure has given me a wider lens to view my world. I read this quote from Mark Twain yesterday. I think it applies.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
I agree
Charlie, I picked up a book from a Little Free Library that’s waiting for me to read it one of these days: Travel as a Political Act, by Rick Steves. He lives in my state and has such a wonderful perspective that echoes this quote. Thanks for sharing it.
I follow Rick Steve’s on fb, he is an amazing person.
I too,
feel this to be so true,
dear Charlie . . .
I grew up in many places,
and have moved to a fairly poor county in New York State.
Many people who live here
have never been out of the county,
let alone the state.
Worldviews are smaller here.
Mark Twain was right.
Thank you for offering this perspective.
“If you ain’t where you’re at, you’re no where.” The Character Colonel Potter on one of the Christmas episodes of the TV series, MASH.
Following a health issue that brought my son to my home in Louisiana to care for me, it became necessary for me to move closer to my son. I did not want to move. I lived in a small Louisiana community with a state college, lots of interesting folks, a major tourist attraction and I loved my home and neighborhood. That move to NE Kansas was 6 years ago. It has been a difficult adjustment. Even though I love being around my son and I cherish being part of his daily life, I miss my friends, the wonderful university music, art,and theatre programs I enjoyed at minimal cost. I was a sponsor for the creative arts department and the students were like sons and daughters to me. It’s been a challenge and adjustment has been slow but thanks to my gratefulness practice, my struggle and bouts with depression have been minimal. My physical place has not shaped my perspective but
gratefulness has helped me to see it with a healthy perspective, to give thanks for my new home and the new experiences and relationships.
I agree about living in a college town. The opportunities tickle my curiosity.
If you read my response to Charlie’s post,
dear Carol,
you might see that like you,
I feel a bit like a stranger in a strange land.
I have gardens though,
and a few friends,
and of course the beautiful landscapes.
They,
and places like this,
people like you
sustain me . . .
thank you. ♥
Sparrow, I’m back in my home town but it is definitely not the place it was in the 1940’s through 60’s. I’ve been blessed to experience several different parts of Louisiana, New Orleans (cosmopolitan) Arcadia (Let the good times roll!) , west central (more like east Texas), North Louisiana (the Bible belt) and my beloved Natchitoches (North Central Louisiana is a hodge-podge of it all).
I also spent time living in the southwest, going from 100% humidity to 2% humidity. Arizona is an interesting state–lots of political upheaval.
I would love to experience living in a very liberal area but my path has never taken me there, doubt I will ever move again. I am thrilled that I have found that I can have a green burial here.
I identify with your words:”…a stranger in a strange land.” That said, I think our real home is in our heart and gratefulness helps me put my monkey my at rest in my heart!
That’s just beautiful,
dear Carol . . .
“I think our real home is in our heart and gratefulness helps me put my monkey at rest in my heart.” ♥
ps. I’ve been to Louisiana several times . . .
love the Spanish moss.
Thank you for sharing this, Carol. Moving to be closer to family is something I think of a lot.
I’m hoping that someday one of my daughters lives to be closer to me rather than the other way around, although the economics may never work out.
Living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan influenced my perspective on place forever. It was one of seven distinct “places” I have lived in my life. When I left there 12 years ago, I wanted to try living in a totally new environment, which is living in a downtown neighborhood, where I could walk or bike to most everything I needed or wanted to do. There are many things I miss about the UP, living on 10 acres, where the closest grocery store was 35 miles away, to where I now live on half of a city lot, and can bike to our food coop in 5 minutes. What has been reinforced in my perspective is that no matter where I live, there are going to be plusses and minuses. And what is essential to my well being must be sought out wherever I live. So now I go to the woods, go to the water, go to where the sky is dark. When I lived in the UP, I would go to the city for culture, amazing food prepared by someone else, diversity. As Joseph said, no place is better or worse than another. Just a different shade. Will I always be a small city person? Time will tell. I am so blessed to have the options to consider.
Well said, my Friend! I had to figure things out when my family decided (without my input) that we should all move. This has taken its toll in a lot of ways, especially leaving friends behind. I guess I’d say that, at best, I’m still figuring things out.
You’ve often mentioned how tough that move has been for you, Pilgrim. I’m glad you’re here in this community, for what it’s worth, although it isn’t the same as having your people and places right there.
Thank you. This was very helpful.
At first I was baffled by the question. As I pondered an answer and read the posts, I am grateful to live in the places I did. I believe the members of our city community are kind and caring. We live in a diverse area with several ethnic groups. I believe we learn from each others. My perspective is we are more alike than different.
Well, living in the United States is shaping most peoples perspectives as soooo many changes (and not good ones) are taking place.
I still value our freedoms and still am grateful to live here as a woman compared to some other Countries where woman have no rights.
Each State within the US has different perspectives, from living up in the North, to the South, East/West…
Good thoughtful Daily Question, looking forward to reading others responses on this.
It’s International Women’s Day and I may go to the rally at our state capitol. I take that right for granted (as today’s quote reminds me), and yet someone posted tips for going to protests that also remind me I’m not guaranteed safety in that setting. But then, I used to live in Coeur d’Alene where the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations marched down the street and I protested them.
“There are times when you must speak, not because you are going to change the other person, but because if you don’t speak, they have changed you.” –Mary Quinn
Michele, your 1st statement is very true. The US is a crazy country. Having moved to the US when I was 1.5yrs old and being close to my family, my stance on freedom is similar to yours. We certainly have more of it here compared to 3rd-world countries.
Living in peaceful states like Minnesota makes it easier for me to take care of my well-being and have more autonomy in my life. The only places I’d want to live outside of Minnesota are Alaska or Europe. I can see myself being a Minnesotan for the rest of my life.
On the same page, Loc 😍
My Ngoc, we’ll always agree on that for sure. This is 1 area couples must agree on no matter how many disagreements they may have. Spouses having different addresses is sketchy.
I find that where I live is truly affecting my perspective. When I was in the crowded city, my life felt like 24 hours were never enough for me. Now, I live under the roof of this house, in Minnesota. I’m still busy but I’m able to find some joy in my 24 hours a day. My perspective has shifted from “being busy is a sign of success” to being grateful is a sign of my success. May everyone find some peace and joy on the weekend! ☀
“My perspective has shifted from “being busy is a sign of success” to being grateful is a sign of my success.” Love this!
I like this perspective too,
dear Carol. ♥
My Ngoc, we were talking about this topic this morning. Minnesota is a very peaceful state.
Place. Space. Safe Places. Safe Spaces. In the countryside. In a park in the city. Both have plants and trees. In the sea. In a swimming pool. Both contain water. In a restaurant. In our kitchen. Both contain food. So many different places and spaces to be in this world that provides for us. I have always had the proclivity to live a life out of doors and in unpopulated places. I enjoy being able to see the sunrise and sunsets, unimpeded by man-made structures. I enjoy dark skies and the ability to appreciate the stars in the dark void. I have my perspective on beauty, joy, being alone, somewhat self-sufficient in my food production, home heating by gathering and burning wood. Is it better than others who live in population centers. No. Just a shade different.
Joseph, I feel so fortunate to be able to see the stars and planets at night from my neighborhood. I’m in a relatively small town now (pop. ~50K). When I lived in big cities the light pollution washed out the darkness. I’d grown up in the country with a sky spangled with stars and I want to be able to see that. I don’t get the full effect but it isn’t zero.