I’m currently reading a book that uses the quote from Lea Goldberg
“Perhaps only migrating birds know, suspended between earth and sky - The heartache of two homelands”
But I’m not sure that resonates for most of us sitters so I give you our own quote.
Perhaps it is only those who wander who learn, that home is not a place, but the quiet belonging we carry in our bones, wherever we land
Looking for my own home for may years now, I´ve come to a conclusion, that home is not a place … but people. Once you find your tribe you can live pretty much anywhere.
Home is where my wife is. Married for 45 years in August. Married at 23. Best decision of my life. We are fortunate to have travelled a lot and have a home in Uk and one in Spain.
Home is where the heart is. Our hearts are in Spain, our family are all around the world.
For me, home is a place, as well as where my husband and dog are. I used to think I’d be a good nomad, but actually I relish and need a comfortable home base to be my happiest. That’s because I love nesting and spreading out.
We’ve set up the best of worlds for my and my husband’s priorities. He’s a homebody, so we always have a comfortable home base. We do some trips together (never sit together — he’d hate sitting), plus I travel a lot on my own or with friends. I always sit solo, which I enjoy.
We’ve lived across the U.S. and abroad over three+ decades, always setting up house. Also have owned vacation homes. Plus we have an RV, which allows a form of nesting and sense of “home,” as well as travel. That’s also important for our dog, because he travels better with our mobile “home.” We can enjoy trips only when we know he’s safe and comfortable.
That’s really interesting how you’ve worked things out with your husband, Maggie8K.We used to sit together but then my wife announced, after a rather unpleasant house owner experience, right that’s my last one!
I was devastated as I always focus on the animals, the Owners are an important but fleeting part of the process!
So now I solo sit and satisfy my need to nurture, educate myself and a pet, if necessary! and explore the, new to me ,area. I can’t own a dog myself with our present circumstances straddling UK and Spain but the housesitting works perfectly for me. Happy wife happy husband!
There’s no point in staying at home grumpy if I love the company of dogs on long walks and new people and places to experience. Now we are retired we should be able to do what we’ve always enjoyed and looked forward to experiencing and sometimes being apart works well too.
We taught together sometimes the same pupils in the same classes. In the UAE we always went about together for safety!
What works best is best.
I loved reading this, I hope to one day meet someone like this and travel with, thank you for sharing!
We met in college and I told him from the outset that if he wanted to be with me, he’d have to be comfortable with my needing to move and travel a lot, because of the career I was pursuing. He’s been amazingly and consistently supportive across decades, luckily for me. I’ve always been independent and relished solo time (as does he). As a kid, I never imagined getting married at all, so I’m still surprised by how well that things have worked out.
