Wednesday, July 24, 2013

It's but little good you'll do a-watering the last year's crops. ~ George Eliot, "Adam Bede", 1859

Oh, why not shock everyone and post another entry to my blog?  I'm sure my blog doesn't know what to make of it! 

Isn't this photo beautiful?  It's a picture of a lake that's in my hometown in Washington State.  It's around 2500 miles from where I live now so I highly doubt I'll ever see it again.  You know, when you get to my age...almost 60...not that it's that old...you begin to think of Time in a different perspective.  At 20, 60 seemed like the Dark Ages to me.  Now, being almost that age myself, 20 seems like I was barely out of diapers.  And to think I got married at that age!  Mercy.  Now, there's a scary thought.

But...back to perspectives...when we moved to Michigan a few years ago, as I boarded the jet to fly here, I never even began to think that I might never make it back to Portland again.  We learned about the possibility of moving in November 2010 and moved in March 2011, so it was a very whirlwind experience...coming here in January to find a house in 5 days, then going 'home' to start packing and organizing the move, sorting thru 28 years of memories and belongings.  Realizing how few 'things' were actually important enough to drag 2/3 of the way across the country with us.  I know people move every day, and sometimes much further distances than we did, but if you had any clue what creatures of habit Dear Hubby and I were beforehand!  We shocked everyone who's known us for years when we suddenly announced we were heading for the upper Midwest.  I think we shocked ourselves most of all, taking this midlife adventure of a lifetime in our later 50s.  And now, here we are 2 1/2 years later and we are so settled, so happy here.  The funny thing about it, it's hard to believe we ever lived anywhere else.  Michigan is truly home to us.

Even so, every now and then a memory or a photo or a comment posted on Facebook by a friend or family member who still lives in the Northwest will draw me up short and I'll think, "Wow...you know, I may never see Lizzee again"....my best friend since 1967.  Or the lake I have pictured up above.  Or my brothers.  Or the house we lived in for 28 years.  And I'll have a twinge that I can't quite put into words.  It's not homesickness or remorse in moving so far away.  No, it's more like a bittersweetness.  Kind of like how I feel when I think of my years of caring for my grandsons on a daily basis.  They'll be a thing of the past, now that they'll both be in school for full days come the Fall.  An ache in the center of my heart.  But it passes, and I get caught up in the here-and-now, which is a life full of family and love and discovering this part of the country, something I never dreamed I'd do in a million years.  I have made new friends that will never take the place of the old ones, but will add a new richness to my life.  I will stand on the shores of  Lake Huron or Lake Michigan or Lake Superior...and I will think of the many, many trips I made to the shorelines of the Pacific Ocean.  And I will miss the tang of salt on my lips but I will lift my head up and revel in the fresh breezes blowing off these magnificent lakes. 

Life is a series of give-and-takes, isn't it?  We give up one thing, only to have it replaced by another.  It doesn't mean the past is lost.  It just means there's room in the present and the future for many more blessings.  You just keep yourself open to them.

6 comments:

Margaret said...

Lovely post. After losing my husband in December, I'm there with you on the bittersweet memories and thinking about the way things used to be, yet moving forward. In my case, it wasn't a choice, so it's different and it's taking me a long time to adjust.

Donna. W said...

I hope you get back to blogging on a regular basis. You are one of the most talented writers I've come across.

anonymous said...

I, for one, am so happy that you moved to Michigan and have settled in so well! I just wish we could get together! :) I never realized that people in Michigan are "nicer" than other parts of the country until you started mentioning it - I guess I just took it for granted since I've always lived here. :)

MissKris said...

Alas, anonymous...I hope you come back and see this as I don't know who you might be! :-)

Anita said...

I just recently wrote a post titled, "Time to Move On." I used my horseback riding lessons as an example, i.e. whether to continue or to stay with it.

It's a real situation and decision that I have to make, however, it is a metaphor for all things in life. I SO understand what you're saying in this post. We will not be here forever, so I'm happy that you and your family had the courage to move to Michigan, to explore new territory, to seek a new happiness. Blessings.

Unknown said...

A lovely post! It is good to hear that you have no regrets over your mid-life move. It sure keeps life interesting to mix things up a bit. I DREAD the thought of moving, only because we've got so much STUFF to sort thru and pack. It would be nice to simplify life some, shedding the dead weight of all that accumulation. Hubby and I talk about down-sizing now the kids are gone. We migrate with the seasons as it is, and we don't need that big house anymore. However, when we're there, we do use it all, entertaining, hosting, claiming individual rooms for our hobbies and such. hmmmm... It will evolve, I'm sure, over time.