Three years ago, I moved back home to Vancouver Island from the US in the wake of a tough life transition. The city and towns and hikes are all familiar, but I've changed and it's strange to be building a new relationship with this place as an adult. I didn't think much of the Island when I was young, but the forests and mountains and rain and wildlife all feel more rare and important to me now. There's definitely something about finding a home, even with all of the difficulties that come with it.
Oh yes, coming “back home” or moving back to a place holds such baggage and possibility, I feel. I also feel like the idea of not noticing or holding precious the natural elements of our early homes resonates for me; of everything I regret, not paying attention to how my parents grew food and took care of the natural spaces I grew up in because it didn’t seem like something special in the way I now understand it to be is one of the biggest.
Three years ago, I moved back home to Vancouver Island from the US in the wake of a tough life transition. The city and towns and hikes are all familiar, but I've changed and it's strange to be building a new relationship with this place as an adult. I didn't think much of the Island when I was young, but the forests and mountains and rain and wildlife all feel more rare and important to me now. There's definitely something about finding a home, even with all of the difficulties that come with it.
Oh yes, coming “back home” or moving back to a place holds such baggage and possibility, I feel. I also feel like the idea of not noticing or holding precious the natural elements of our early homes resonates for me; of everything I regret, not paying attention to how my parents grew food and took care of the natural spaces I grew up in because it didn’t seem like something special in the way I now understand it to be is one of the biggest.