There's something deeply personal about these moments—how they pull you into a space that feels untouched by time. Even though life moves on, stepping into a familiar place can be grounding.
My childhood homes. Sadly my first home was demolished! Then I learned my elementary school was as well. So strange they are just gone. My second home is still standing. I went there probably 15 years ago now and it looked so much smaller than I remember. We used to skate up and down the driveway and I thought “that’s not as long as I remember”. We moved from Minnesota to Wisconsin (just across the border) and even going back to my kids childhood home - they tore the big tree from the front yard. I find a lot of sadness in going back. Maybe it’s just me. I like to remember things as they were and going back makes me realize it will never be that way again.
Sometimes for me, realizing they’re never going to be the same again is the thing I use to power the memory of what was there. Keeps me almost… realigned I guess in a sense. Makes me have more gratitude. But it does take a LOT of sadness and really sitting and feeling that emotion. I went back to my grandmothers trailer one day. She died at a house in a city over but her trailer stayed, untouched the few years before she died that she moved out. The light turned on after sitting there for a bit. She was telling me to move on. To let it go, and that that place was always going to be just a place. But it took a lot. I should write more about it, but I think it goes to show how healing that process can be. Even if it’s only a one time or a few (drive bys in my case) visit as I’m guessing you will have made the visits to the older home/lot
Honestly it sucks to visit. I lost my dad in that house. He basically collapsed on the driveway. He had cancer but it was still unexpected. Then we moved and my brother died 5 years later. I’ve replayed it often in my own mind so going there feels like I am not letting go. I suppose there are better perspectives.
That is completely valid. Sometimes those places will bring nothing but pain. Especially under your circumstances. Here for you, that is not an easy thing to relive.
My childhood homes. Sadly my first home was demolished! Then I learned my elementary school was as well. So strange they are just gone. My second home is still standing. I went there probably 15 years ago now and it looked so much smaller than I remember. We used to skate up and down the driveway and I thought “that’s not as long as I remember”. We moved from Minnesota to Wisconsin (just across the border) and even going back to my kids childhood home - they tore the big tree from the front yard. I find a lot of sadness in going back. Maybe it’s just me. I like to remember things as they were and going back makes me realize it will never be that way again.
Sometimes for me, realizing they’re never going to be the same again is the thing I use to power the memory of what was there. Keeps me almost… realigned I guess in a sense. Makes me have more gratitude. But it does take a LOT of sadness and really sitting and feeling that emotion. I went back to my grandmothers trailer one day. She died at a house in a city over but her trailer stayed, untouched the few years before she died that she moved out. The light turned on after sitting there for a bit. She was telling me to move on. To let it go, and that that place was always going to be just a place. But it took a lot. I should write more about it, but I think it goes to show how healing that process can be. Even if it’s only a one time or a few (drive bys in my case) visit as I’m guessing you will have made the visits to the older home/lot
Honestly it sucks to visit. I lost my dad in that house. He basically collapsed on the driveway. He had cancer but it was still unexpected. Then we moved and my brother died 5 years later. I’ve replayed it often in my own mind so going there feels like I am not letting go. I suppose there are better perspectives.
That is completely valid. Sometimes those places will bring nothing but pain. Especially under your circumstances. Here for you, that is not an easy thing to relive.
I love this concept. I find nostalgia is such a temptress. Drawing you in to a safe place. It feels good to linger for a moment and be at peace.
Most definitely. It used to be the opposite for me, and I definitely had to do some inner healing before getting to this point.