Home from Philadelphia and thrust into a busy week, but what a lovely trip it was! More on the reading and the fascinating Ukrainian Club soon, but first some thoughts about vacations and visits.
Philly is starting to feel like home.
One of the gifts of having friends in distant places is that when you stay with them and cultivate memories in their home city, it begins to feel like home.
The last time Kyle Cassidy stayed with us in Chicago, we talked about how it’s comforting to return to a friend’s home and have your gadgets recognized by the network, have their pets and/or children recognize you, and know where to find the water glasses. It’s so true.
When I was a child, we usually took one family vacation each summer–a road trip. We never really had family or friends to visit in those places. Our vacations were lovely and memorable, but they were hotel stays and swimming pools, parks and restaurants. There’s something very different about staying with, or visiting, friends. It transforms a vacation into a visit, and those are different shades of a holiday.
On a visit, if you’re very lucky, you can sleep surrounded by beloved books and cats, wake up to #morningCATface, get greeted by a skeleton out of the closet, and have a friend make you coffee.
Of course we miss our friends when they’re not in our hometown, but what a joy it is to experience home in different places.
Thank you, Kyle & Trillian Stars.