Oh wow, this one is easy; at least, a location immediately came to mind which shows, if nothing else, just how boring of an individual I really have become. Of all the places on earth to go - the Egyptian pyramids, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, and all the other wondrous places - I'd go back home to Calgary.
I've now spent over half my life away from the city of my youth and I have found, with each passing year, a growing sense of nostalgia and, dare I say it, homesickness. I miss the fresh air; I miss riding my bike along the riverfront paths, visiting the Zoo, and gazing at the majestic Rocky Mountains just a 45 minute drive away. I miss summer days strolling around the artsy district of Kensington, getting coffee at a cafe with live music, and then visiting the comic store and Hot Wax Records right next to it to hunt down a bootleg Rolling Stones album, and then capping the night off with a teriyaki burger with my friends at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
I wouldn't even go back to visit family, save for one niece who doesn't even live in the city anymore. I'd go visit friends, find if any of my favourite haunts still exist, and laugh our asses off until they kick us out. The next day I'd wander downtown to see if one particular convenience store is still there that I used to buy ice cream sandwiches to let my neighbour's dog snack on.
Yeah, I know it'd be nothing like my youth, and I suppose I could always fly back to visit, but teleporting would be so much easier.
Splendid answer!
I often yearn for those simple times and places that I probably took for granted at the time. Life is so, hectic these days, and more to the point, we're so distracted.
You paint a nice picture in words here and I feel that you really want to be there, that it means something. I get it.
I suppose at worst you have a load of memories to enjoy, at worst, the understanding and hope you'll get back there again.
Thanks for joining in.
You know, the irony of it is that, when I left Calgary, I honestly felt I would never look back. My final year in college was very rough for me personally and I was really looking forward to a fresh start not only out of town, but on the other side of the country.
Of course one should never say never. I've only ever been back to visit once since then, but you're spot on that the good memories are there and by far outweigh the negative. I enjoy that.
Sorry to hear about your final college year being a little rough - I guess with age comes perspective, new perspective and so I'm not surprised you have a yearning to return. I think it'll be a nice moment to do so, to relive some of those moments. I hope you can make it happen.
It sucked at the time, but looking back now, it's our history that makes us who we are today. It's all good, and if it hadn't happened the way it did, who knows what butterfly effect would have occurred as a result.
What I really ought to do first is renew my passport(s). Maybe that'll lite a fire under my butt. 😀
That's an excellent way to look at it, and is exactly how I see my own past. I've had some stuff happen and without it I'd not be me right now.
Get that passport mate...I keep my up to date at all times!
Well said! I know that home is where the heart is, that's for sure. It's not even the people sometimes, like family, but friends that make it even more special. One day I too will live very far from home and I'm not sure if I will feel the same way. There's elements to what you said though that are important. The small things we used to do, check out the stores we used to frequent, doing some of the things we used to get in trouble for (thankfully just an angry word or two, not a call to the police) and other little parts about us being a bunch of little rascals when we were young. Those are some great memories you have and yes we can visit many places around the world but sometimes taking a trip back to where we grew up might be all we need.
That's exactly it! It's the small memories that I have really begun to cherish and appreciate; the warmth on a summer day strolling through the park, stopping at Tim Hortons for a coffee and donut after cycling along the river front (I laugh at that now, as my after ride snack now is a smoothy or fruit and yogurt), and even waiting for the bus in -20 weather and being happy to see the bus arrive. Oy. 😂
For personal reasons I was happy to leave Calgary at the time; you could say that I fled and could hear me cheering as I left the Province entirely. But there are good memories there, and I do miss it. I'm very happy I'm not feeling negative about it anymore.
What a great answer. I haven't been to Calgary for at least 30 years, but it is on the bucket list...If I live that long.
I sort of have family there. When my Grandmother's family left Russia they came through Vancouver and stopped in Red Deer. Most of the older boys stayed there to farm and ranch but her parents and the younger children moved south to Eastern Washington. I think we went twice in the 50s to visit. I went a few times in the 70s to play and party. I used to spend every 4th of July (and Dominion Day) at Fairmont BC-In the Rockies for sure.
My Dad's uncle owned North's Chuck Wagon (a buffet). Did you know it?
Too neat! We could be related. My grandfather left the Odessa region of Ukraine, though they ended up near Vancouver. My sister actually currently lives in Red Deer.
I do not recall a buffet of that name, but buffet's weren't really my thing.
I left 25 years ago, now. Maybe we bumped into each other the last time you visited!
Schmidt. Both Grandparents were born near the Volga, but in different villages.
It's been a long time since I heard the name North's Chuck Wagon, at least 50 years. In those days a buffet restaurant was a radical, California type of place.