Quit Moving
August 20, 2009
My kids have had a much more stable childhood than I did. While they have lived in the same house their whole lives, I didn’t stay in one country for more than six years.
Take my own upbringing:
You’re born in the north of England, son of a Liverpudlian your grandparents worked the railroad and shipyards.
…whoosh…
You live in the leafy Buckinghamshire. You neighbours are commuters with interesting jobs and everyone has a secret.
…whoosh…
You’re in the Philadelphian suburbs. You’re on first base, playing baseball in the league finals the score is tied at the top of the ninth. Here comes the pitch.
…whoosh…
Now you’re living in Provence. Gone is the air conditioning, the big cars, the uninterrupted electricity supply. You don’t speak the language and you are sitting in a classroom learning German. In French.
…whoosh…
You’re going to a boarding school. You are sent away to spare the breakdown of family life and you’re a foreigner in your own country.
…whoosh…
That’s not a childhood. That’s Quantum Leap.
There’s a lot to be said for stability, but if I’d had that, things might have turned out differently anyway.
3 comments
Not quite as up-heaved as your child hood, but I’ve moved around quite a bit too. I’ve thorough enjoyed it, but it does leave me stumped when anyone asks the questions “Where are you from?”.
your post captures the fluidity which I’m guessing walks hand in hand with resilency. As an aside, my kids are quite attached to our old New England home but would give it up in a heartbeat to move to England to watch Liverpool play soccer. Go figure.
Clair – I think a bit of movement is good. I’m not saying I’ve lost out or anything. Where are you from is always a tricky one. Depends who I’m talking to.
Kayla – thanks, I hadn’t thought of it that way. I think resiliency is a great strength than resolve. I understand the thing about the grass being greener on the other side of the fence, but in the case of Liverpool Football Club, that’s actually true.
Leave a comment. Play nice. I will turn this blog around.