While Justin was in PA school, we talked about moving away from our hometown, to get out & see more of the country. To have an adventure. To go make a new place our own.
And when he did his preceptorship, which is basically a three-month internship at the end of PA school, he went twelve hours away to Greenville, South Carolina. I went & visited twice, & we fell in love with that little city & its picturesque downtown. In those summer days spent seeing patients, playing golf, & exploring a new state, we both fell in love with the idea of living in the Carolinas, he from up-close, myself from far-away & by proxy.
Needless to say, in the space of time after PA school graduation & now, we got engaged, moved to North Carolina, got married, & settled into Wilmington. And I love Wilmington. I love its beaches, I love its beauty, & I love it's riverfront downtown, with restaurants and ice cream right there on the water. I love being in a different place, forging my own way, & relying on Justin for partnership & companionship.
But, it's hard to be so far removed from our families, from our friends, & from familiarity.
So, I guess that's what I'm struggling with lately: just the duality of loving Wilmington & feeling so safe & secure in Shreveport, surrounded by people who love us. The duality of adventure, excitement, newness, in stark contrast to familiarity, comfort, & normalcy. During my last trip to Shreveport, which I am just now arriving home to Wilmington from today, this struggle was really brought to the forefront of my mind.
But, I am excited to see what the future holds for us in Wilmington. There is still so much to be explored, so many people to meet, & so many things to get involved in. And I'm glad that Justin will be alongside me throughout it all, experiencing it at the same time. To me, that is the ultimate comfort.
4 comments:
Aw I felt the same way when we lived far from home! I am a world traveler and I love adventure, so I surprised myself feeling that way. There's just no place like home.
Sounds like you have a positive attitude about it though! Much better than me. I wallowed in my self-pity party until we finally moved home. :)
I totally understand! Until we explore, seek, and know where our hearts are most content, I think it's ill-conceived to decide on one tiny spot to spend all of our days on this vast planet. For the rest of your life, wherever you end up, it will be because you want to be there, because you went elsewhere and it wasn't right, because you could be anywhere else in the world but you choose to the there. That's an accomplishment, love!
Just found your blog from Ashley's Piloting Life! I struggled with the same thing when my husband and I moved back to his home town to our new home. He had all of his friends, and all of my friends were back in my college town.
I felt so out of place. I wanted my friends. Thankfully though, all of Brandon's friends had really great wives/girlfriends that I do get along well with!
Congrats on the new move! Good luck :)
xo
Alisha and Brandon {the blog}
I can totally relate to this post. My husband and I moved here to Charlotte NC back in 2007. We're originally from Flint Mi (12 hours away). I miss my family. But I appreciate the life lessons that I've learned by moving so far away from home. Not having a crutch or the ability to run home to Momma every time something goes wrong has grown me up tremendously. I video chat with my family often and we talk on the phone, email and exchange pics. Although it doesn't take the place of see them in person, I am grateful for the technology that allows us to do so. I wish you and your family all the best... I'll be sure to keep you in my prayers. (^_^)
Have a fabulous week,
Nikell
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