I've asked myself that question more than once over the past couple of days. I moved from Martha's Vineyard to Bloomfield, Ct on Wednesday. That's where I am today. So, what's this thing with Canada? There are a couple of reasons for my being unsure as to where I am.
First of all, the last move we made from a place where we lived in our own house for many years was in 1994 when we moved from Wellesley to Ottawa. This move is also a move away from a house of many years and memories. I think the idea of living in our house is more powerful for me than I thought. In Canada we lived in an apartment; here in Bloomfield my home is also an apartment. In both cases the apartment was nice, but we were tenants, subject to the tastes and whims of someone else. Don't get me wrong! We enjoyed our time in Ottawa immensely and did have reasonable and non-intrusive landlords. But it was not the same as our house in Wellesley. Obviously, my stay here in Bloomfield will not be the same as my stay on Martha's Vineyard. It may be better, it may be worse. It will not be the same. C'est la vie.
Clearly, the idea of moving to a foreign country should have more stress than moving to another state. But, this move has also been stressful. The Vineyard is a truly unique place. It is part of the U.S., yes. But, mainland America it is not. Although I have spent the bulk of my lifetime on the mainland, I have lived the past nine years on an island, visiting the mainland occasionally. So, part of my thinking is probably due to my recognition of how different the mainland is when compared to the Vineyard so that I feel that I am moving to a foreign country once more.
Do I want to be in Canada now? No. Do I want to be on the Vineyard today? No. I made a decision many months ago that moving to a continuing care retirement community near my daughter was the right move for me at this point in my life. Now I just have to do the "job" I know I can do.
First of all, the last move we made from a place where we lived in our own house for many years was in 1994 when we moved from Wellesley to Ottawa. This move is also a move away from a house of many years and memories. I think the idea of living in our house is more powerful for me than I thought. In Canada we lived in an apartment; here in Bloomfield my home is also an apartment. In both cases the apartment was nice, but we were tenants, subject to the tastes and whims of someone else. Don't get me wrong! We enjoyed our time in Ottawa immensely and did have reasonable and non-intrusive landlords. But it was not the same as our house in Wellesley. Obviously, my stay here in Bloomfield will not be the same as my stay on Martha's Vineyard. It may be better, it may be worse. It will not be the same. C'est la vie.
Clearly, the idea of moving to a foreign country should have more stress than moving to another state. But, this move has also been stressful. The Vineyard is a truly unique place. It is part of the U.S., yes. But, mainland America it is not. Although I have spent the bulk of my lifetime on the mainland, I have lived the past nine years on an island, visiting the mainland occasionally. So, part of my thinking is probably due to my recognition of how different the mainland is when compared to the Vineyard so that I feel that I am moving to a foreign country once more.
Do I want to be in Canada now? No. Do I want to be on the Vineyard today? No. I made a decision many months ago that moving to a continuing care retirement community near my daughter was the right move for me at this point in my life. Now I just have to do the "job" I know I can do.
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