Missing Holland
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009“All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered….”
— Paul Fussell
(Todd Duren) We’ve been home over two weeks now, and it’s good to be back. Karen is happy to have me home, and I see my daughters every morning, not just via Skype or The World’s Worst Cell Phone Connection. Home is where the heart is.
Home also means comfort. Our screen porch in the morning, the din of birdsongs, coffee steaming in the porch swing. My roomier shower. My free wi-fi. My air conditioning, my car, and my flip flops. By now I’ve unpacked, filled in the rest of my journal, tallied receipts, told stories, and shown pictures to friends. Things are back to normal. Almost.
This morning after coffee I found myself posting to my Facebook page that I’m “heartsick for Holland.” Wow. I wasn’t expecting this. Our Going Dutch trip was a great experience—one that I’ve been planning for a year. Why then am I surprised to miss it so much?
Read the rest of this entry »
