Blessing and a curse, yeah… fewer new experiences and the world becomes less immediately “Wow!”, but the increase in depth stemming from all of that accumulated context makes old experiences even better in many cases.
I’m thinking here primarily of books, movies, games, music, relationships of all sorts, even of our own persons. One can start to see the multiple layers beneath the surface which were difficult to see due to a lack of life contexts.
About the multiple layers… I did a few months of (near) solo travel, seeing different countries and figuring out things like food, lodging, transit, language when possible/necessary for myself in each new place. It was great, but at the end of it I sat down and watched “a movie from home” and realized that for the past months I had been scrambling, struggling to get through the basics, barely scratching the surface most places because of the sheer effort required just to get through the days and nights. That sappy, unremarkable, movie “from home” just flowed into me effortlessly, with all the layers and subtexts unfolding without any struggle to translate or relate. It was very much a Dorothy “no place like home” moment. And then I flew home and instantly regretted not being able to continue my nomad lifestyle for many more months.
Funny, I always felt that the old “one can never go back home” adage holds true precisely due to the continuous addition of layers of context, in that I’m never the same Me going “home,” which means it can never be “home” for the new Me. I do know that comfort of familiarity, though! For me, it’s getting back to my own bed:))
Either way, your experience sounds wonderful, and I kinda’ envy you, tbh. I’ve always had trouble appreciating new places and contexts, because I see the familiar everywhere I go, in people, in tendencies, in shared cultural elements… Maybe it’s different for everyone, I guess, or a matter of perspective. Very good food for thought!
Blessing and a curse, yeah… fewer new experiences and the world becomes less immediately “Wow!”, but the increase in depth stemming from all of that accumulated context makes old experiences even better in many cases.
I’m thinking here primarily of books, movies, games, music, relationships of all sorts, even of our own persons. One can start to see the multiple layers beneath the surface which were difficult to see due to a lack of life contexts.
About the multiple layers… I did a few months of (near) solo travel, seeing different countries and figuring out things like food, lodging, transit, language when possible/necessary for myself in each new place. It was great, but at the end of it I sat down and watched “a movie from home” and realized that for the past months I had been scrambling, struggling to get through the basics, barely scratching the surface most places because of the sheer effort required just to get through the days and nights. That sappy, unremarkable, movie “from home” just flowed into me effortlessly, with all the layers and subtexts unfolding without any struggle to translate or relate. It was very much a Dorothy “no place like home” moment. And then I flew home and instantly regretted not being able to continue my nomad lifestyle for many more months.
Funny, I always felt that the old “one can never go back home” adage holds true precisely due to the continuous addition of layers of context, in that I’m never the same Me going “home,” which means it can never be “home” for the new Me. I do know that comfort of familiarity, though! For me, it’s getting back to my own bed:))
Either way, your experience sounds wonderful, and I kinda’ envy you, tbh. I’ve always had trouble appreciating new places and contexts, because I see the familiar everywhere I go, in people, in tendencies, in shared cultural elements… Maybe it’s different for everyone, I guess, or a matter of perspective. Very good food for thought!