Familiarity

Familiarity breeds contempt. But you know...absence makes the heart grow fonder....

Sometimes I long for the unknown, the great adventure, the grass on the other side. And usually, once I get there, for a while I am on unfamiliar ground and have to get used to it, but eventually I find it's a good experience.

Lately I find myself still eager to press on into uncharted territory (like all the cliches I'm using here?!), but at the same time feeling a little disoriented at the quick departure from what has for so long been familiar and comfortable.

One day at a time, eh?

I guess I'm feeling like a missionary, or a foreign exchange student - everything about the culture initially seems different - the view, the language, the food, the customs, the dress.... But...well, don't you love a story that brings to light how two seemingly disparate things are really very much alike?

Like, for instance, I finished reading Dorothy Parker's Complete Stories last week. In one of the sketches, she compared a couple's "average" life in New York City, and a visit from their aunt from a small town who preferred her own way of living from day to day. Afterward the city couple visit their aunt in the small town and, though the stores have different names and the differences are keenly felt, what Parker so plainly describes is that the "average" daily life of a small-town inhabitant is exactly the same as that of a city-dweller. We all have flashes of excitement amidst the usual (and comfortable) routine.

So...in times when I get in a hurry to solidify some feeling of "normalcy," or worry that there is still so much to figure out and wonder if I will ever attain the routine of life that I hope to maintain for a while (you know, something about "settling down" or something), I try to remind myself to live in the present. Sometimes I have to remind myself that the future in fact looks pretty bright, if a little intimidating, and I just have to keep plodding along and I'll make it.

One of my priorities the last year or so has been to enjoy the plodding. Some days I'm more successful at that than others. But that's one of the reasons I enjoy participating in the A to Z Challenge (last year was my first year). I enjoy writing and, in particular, blogging, and interacting with other bloggers.

What are some of the things you do on purpose to enjoy the journey on the way to wherever you're headed?

Comments

  1. Familiarity breeds contempt..
    Nice post

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  2. I try to take things as they come, and enjoy the present as much as I can. In particular, since I've got two kids, I have always tried to enjoy the possibilities at every stage of their childhood, because these time are not coming back.

    Future may be brighter or darker, you never know. Enjoy life when you can. >:)

    Cold As Heaven

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  3. I think it's important to remember that your life isn't just the moments of high excitement, but all the moments.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Flying through via the A-Z. A quick read shows me that we have a lot in common. So I'm your newest follower. As to the comparison between the city and country dweller, I also discovered there's a lot of truth to that viewpoint.

    But there are also huge differences. I've lived in suburbia and I've also lived in the country (for the past 40 years). Believe me, city people have no idea what living on a farm is like. No idea.

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  5. On a journey somewhere, we are most likely to stop at a restaurant that feels familiar, like the places where we were children.

    May I recommend "Road Kill Cafe" on Rt. 66, in Sleighman (?), NV.

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  6. I enjoy the constant challenge of negativity niggling away at you, tapping you on your shoulder and then... and then doing me very best to remain positive no matter what. And sticking a proverbial tongue out at it ;)
    #AtoZChallenge http://virtuallyallsorts.wordpress.com

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  7. Usually I'll try to the long way either to work or to home when I have to make my semi-monthly visit to my other office.

    However, back in the day, I used to do road trips with the wife as vacations. Still want to pursue my ultimate road trip dream of doing US 6 from coast to coast. So far have traveled from CT to just inside the Colorado border.

    A-Z Challenge at Father Nature's Corner

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  8. Hi Melody, this is a fun post. My life consists of a lot of daily, cheerful plodding interspersed with an occasional RV trip with my bride of 49 years. Along the way, I try to take plenty of photos.

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  9. Visiting on the 10th day of the #atozchallenge. Learning interesting new things on this blog hop day. Congratulations on a well presented blog/theme. If you have time or interest, I am writing about gardening and related topics this month. Come and visit.

    ReplyDelete

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