Pirates and Pilgrims

Wanderlust. It's a feeling that has been gripping me more and more just recently. Perhaps because I've been exploring  'street view' in Google maps and found myself touring places where I used to live. Homes in my childhood, places we vacationed, dives rented in college, and then all the houses in the US that we've lived in during my married life (nine) - I can see them all as though I was right there.

Perhaps that urge to travel is in my genes. I come from a country that was settled by many sea-faring peoples and used to "rule the waves". Could it be that I have pirates in my ancestry? I definitely have an affinity for the ocean. At the end of a vacation we took in Maine years ago, my husband had to drag me away from the shore to return home. It reminded me so much of the cold, blustery beaches of the North Sea that fill my childhood memories.

Perhaps my itchy feet feeling is due to the fact that our daughter just moved to Guam for a year, my son has gone to college in New Hampshire and is planning a volunteer trip to Fiji, a friend just went to Ireland, hubby travels frequently to foreign parts, and my Mum is moving to Arizona. In short, everyone is going everywhere ... except me ...

Perhaps this feeling of wanderlust is a reaction to some other aspect of transition in my life. This may be a common feeling for many empty-nest mums: a feeling of disconnectedness from a familiar environment that has undergone change. The desire for physical change as an antidote to emotional change?

Perhaps it's all of the above!

And then I think of my name ... Palmer is thought to mean Pilgrim. Going on a pilgrimage means going on a physical journey that has spiritual significance. And I can certainly say that our many physical journeys have been a means of deepening our faith. Being an alien in a foreign land changes a person's view on life, and their view of community. Being a newcomer gives new meaning to friendship. Being in transition creates a new awareness of stability. And, as Calvin's dad would say, " it all builds character!"

So, perhaps the new normal for me, being used to moving every five or six years, is to stay longer. Perhaps the next part of my pilgrimage is to spread deep roots in my community here and find the spiritual truths of growing in place. Perhaps my days of riding the waves are over?


Sue