Westward Thoughts

Life is a collection of connections with people, places, and things. Everyday we are making new connections that impact the direction of our life. Most are so small that we move day-to-day with out even considering the impact or probably even care. But even the smallest of connections can make a huge alteration.

Ten plus years ago our family made a move across the country from the Mountainous state of Washington to the flat plains of Indiana. One would hope that a move like that would only be undertaken with great consideration and planning, but in reality for us it did not. It was a sparked by a single connection and one email. From that small spark we set out on an adventure that altered our lives forever.

One could say that adventure ended just a couple months ago as that same family, just much bigger now, put into motion the move “home”. No longer are we residents in the state we called home for the last 10 years, No longer do we reside in the state that so many wonderful changes happened. Yes now we are back to a place of comfort, a place we always considered our true home.

But coming “home” is bitter sweet. Being back with extended family we had left behind is wonderful. Having the majestic views of the mountains we hold so treasured in our hearts has an unspeakable joy. Even just being back as a whole family unit is terrific since during the process of moving we were forced to be apart for a month and half.

Even with all these happy feelings, I can’t help but to look back at the things that we are loosing. As is with all things in life, there is no good, without a little bad. Even though we always felt a little out of place in our 10 years, we made connections and bonds and had wonderful experiences and changes that we will take with us. The most painful is that in order to make this move, we had to leave extended family members behind. In a perfect world all family would be within reach and no more than a short drive away. But alas we do not live in a perfect world we live in this world.

So many friends will be missed, so many bonds we will not be able to nourish. Sure with the Internet we will be able to stay connected, but an email or quick phone call has never been a replacement for true personal contact, and never will be. An email can not replace the give and take interaction of conversation over lunch, or the banter over Texas Holdem and a little bit of adult beverages (or a lot). Our lives are always in a constant state of evolution. We will never be the person we were years ago, or even the person we were yesterday. Really though, why would we want to be? Like anyone I wouldn’t mind doing a few things over, a few just cause it was so much fun the first time, and others cause I would like the chance to get it right. But if I did have that chance, I am not sure I would take it even the ones I got wrong. We don’t learn, and we don’t grow from all the things we did right, we evolve and expand from the lessons we learned when we did it wrong.

We must cherish the connections we made through our lives. We must reflect when we have the opportunity, and incorporate the lessons we learned into our selves. But more important than anything is asking ourselves how we can live today to make tomorrow even better.