I’m no stranger to distance. In fact, it’s part of how I think of myself–physically distant from most of whom and what I love. Distance has become normal to me.
My best friends—the ones who know my history as well as my present—live in other states and countries. Consulting a clock and googling GMT +/- seems like a normal thing to do before making a phone call. I work with kids who are in over 70 different regions of the world. I follow the news of distant lands more deliberately than I follow the news of the place my stuff is.
Distance seems normal. Proximity is foreign.
Even when those I love are in a huggable distance, part of my heart is somewhere else. Somewhere distant. I don’t think there has been a time since high school when everyone I cared about was in the same place at the same time. (Besides, it’s hard to move a country!)
In some ways distance is a gift. There are always people to visit and places to go. In other ways, it’s hard to have your hear scattered around the world.
photo courtesy of tinneketin
This is my post for Five Minute Fridays over at The Gypsy Mama. The rules? Set the clock for 5 minutes. Write till it goes off. Post. Link up. So that’s what I did—plus maybe another 15 seconds. Stopping mid-sentence doesn’t work so well for me. Oh yeah—and then I had to find a picture. Why don’t you head on over, see what others had to say.
11 responses to “Scattered”
“Hard to have your heart scattered around the world” – love that line. Distance can bring about mixed feelings for sure.
I agree, that line was great and is much how I feel.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting on my Five Minute Friday post/blog.
Have a great weekend. 🙂
Interesting – usually when we talk about distance it’s a negative. I liked your comment about always having people to visit and places to go.
Thanks for stopping by my blog 🙂
Such a real, raw post. I too have found distance to be somewhat normal. After a while, the waiting seems as if its doomed to be your neighbor forever. My heart is scattered around the world as you say, perfect wording!
Jamie–thanks for coming back to my space in the blogosphere! Mixed feelings? Most definitely. It’s wonderful there are some beautiful things about distance.
Thanks for visiting and commenting, ladies. It’s a pleasure to hear your thoughts.
Suzanne–isn’t it nice to have someone else voice your thoughts? I love reading other blogs and thinking, “Wow! I thought I was the only one” or “Those are the words I didn’t have for the feeling I did have.”
Ixy–one of the best parts of a rooted nomadic life is that those roots are in people throughout the world. Hotel bills become rare, but airfare is an all too common expense.
Heather–“Waiting seems as if its doomed to be your neighbor forever.” That’s so rich. I just keep rolling it over in my mind and in my mouth. That’s exactly what it feels like. I can’t fathom heaven and the end of waiting . . .
Distance seems normal. Proximity seems foreign. I get this. It is my story. I have moved 14k miles between cities. We are about to make a huge next move. The location is under wraps. My closest friends don’t live in the same city, either. I get all of this. Hmmmm…..driving through Denver….not this time. We are taking the I-40….going across the South.
I kind of had a hunch that you would get it. I’ll be looking forward to hearing about your newest adventure. And well, I thought I’d offer . . . just in case.
Found you at Gypsy Mama. I so enjoyed your perspective on distance. It is not yet normal to me… I’m learning to make distance normal, but its still foreign and I have not yet become accustomed to the miles between me and what feels like home. I enjoyed your positive outlook on it where I struggle, at times, to remember the gift it can be. Thank you. 🙂
You’re very welcome, Cara. I’ve been at this distance thing most of my adult life. Sometimes home feels quite far away, and sometimes it’s as close as my pillow. May you find the sweetness of carrying your home in your heart.
(as posted on my Facebook page) This is a great image! It was used to accompany a great article found at https://sherylobryan.com/sc​attered/
Even though I spend a lot of time “being here now,” and have succeeded, in part, to feel as though I have really been in the Seattle area since December 1985, my heart flies around the world embracing people from my past and hoping that they know that they are also in my present.