“We shall not cease from exploration, and at the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” - T.S. Eliot
I wrote that quote down years ago on a Post-it Note and stuck it in my weekly planner. I had no immediate plans to move back home, but I always felt deep down that I would get back there – or close to it – at some point. I’d already been gone from Cleveland for a handful of years by then, and I had begun to notice that every time I went home to Cleveland, I fell more in love with it.
It’s a strange thing, to only begin appreciate the beauty of a place once you’re gone. I was barely 22 when I moved to Arizona, and I appreciated its beauty instantly. The mountains, the red rocks, the clear blue skies, the bright desert flowers … there is no denying Arizona is breathtaking.
(Taken from our hotel balcony on our last trip to Sedona.)
But having grown up in Cleveland, all I saw around me was a grey sky; all I felt was a bitter cold wind. When I left, I had an unfairly negative view.
But after 8-1/2 years away, I pine for a Cleveland full of fall color, for white snow dusting bare tree branches. I dream of the street where my parents live, the old trees forming a high canopy of green over the road in the summer.
The green … it’s so green. A rich, luscious, lovely green.
I never saw that green during the 22 years I lived there. It was there, I just didn’t see it. I see it, I appreciate it now.
Leaving Ohio is the best decision I ever made. It launched my career, it introduced me to my husband, it is the reason my son exists. I will always be grateful that I chose to go. But when we move back East (in 9 weeks or less!), we will arrive with an appreciation for the things we’ve been missing. For the character of old homes, for cities rich in history. For changing seasons, for neighborhoods with a truly suburban feel.
(Taken from the car on a trip through downtown Cleveland, circa 2009.)
Our Arizona exploration is ending. We are about to arrive where we started. And we will truly know the place for the first time.
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8 Responses to Appreciating home.
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ABOUT
I'm Meg. An Ohio girl who met a Pennsylvania gentleman in the Arizona desert. Married, toddler, cat, etc. Current adventure: Trading sun for snow, warmth for wind, an office job for a home office. Hello, East Coast.SPONSORS
I totally feel this way about Arizona- that I need to leave to appreciate it enough to come back. Alas… Aaron does not quite feel the same.
P.S. Once you’re in Philly will you be my Tasty Cakes dealer?
You can TOTALLY count on me!
I know that I have mentioned a few times that I am so sad that you’re leaving when I just found you. But I understand the reasonings and love the beauty that you find in the change. When I visit family in Nebraska or my sister in Michigan I am in awe of the depth and density of the green. While I’m green with envy (pun totally intended), I still love the mountains, the colors of the desert, and the subtle signs of seasons changing here. The month of winter-like temperature don’t hurt either!
It’s going to be so hard to leave in March. That’s my favorite month here. Would have been better to leave in, say, August.
Oh my goodness, NINE WEEKS???? How exciting/nervewracking all at once.
I may or may not be *this close* to a panic attack. Cannot confirm nor deny. (EXCEPT YES I AM GOING TO HAVE A PANIC ATTACK SOMEONE PLEASE ORGANIZE MY LIFE THANK YOU.)
For me it was moving to the east side that made me truly appreciate Cleveland. (Don’t tell my west-sider family). I love this city so much. Every time I come out of the Ohio City station on the Red Line and see that skyline it takes my breath away a little.
Agreed – the skyline is beautiful. Whenever I’m watching a Cleveland sports game on TV I watch for them to show a couple city shots before/after commercials.