You Can't Go Home Again ... Or Can You?

Who needs a road map when you go home?

Last week, I went back to Washington, DC, where I lived for 41 years.  I drove by the house where my husband and I raised our two daughters.

Thomas Wolfe was right. Well, he was literally right. You cannot go home again, especially if you’ve sold the house and no longer have the keys.

I felt few emotions seeing the house. It’s just a structure.  I experienced many more feelings seeing old friends and from how sweetly and sincerely I was welcomed.  Nothing warms the heart more than a teenager flinging herself into your arms. I must have feared that my move would make me gone and, if not forgotten, possibly replaced by other people more conveniently located and more present in their lives.

Yet, I know that good friendships, important and valued friendships, can weather the storms of distance. But, somehow after so many years of living in one area I needed to be reminded that valued friendships can last. This trip did that for me.

The trip was helpful on another count:  It highlighted the positives of our new hometown. Here, we also have friends, but we have no Beltway. We have far less traffic and far more quiet and space. We no longer live among 5.8 million other people. My new county’s population is about 3 percent of that.

Here’s something else I realized about going home again. It’s harder if you’re, shall I say, getting long in the tooth and have a sleep disorder.  Home may be where the heart is. It’s also where the familiar bed and bedding are.

Maybe you can go home again, but you should take your mattress, pillow, book, and other nighttime routines.

Then, you’ll be more rested and resilient and have the strength to say all those goodbyes all over again.