[flying across the deserts of Tatooine]
Han Solo: “I think my eyes are getting better. Instead of a big dark blur, I see a big bright blur.”
Luke: ”There’s nothing to see. I used to live here, you know.”
Han Solo: “You’re gonna die here, you know. Convenient.”
Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi
I was listening to the songs on my computer this evening, letting them shuffle through the entire catalog and Sweet Home Alabama, by Lynyrd Skynyrd, came on. Frankly, even as a rather unemotional and detached mid-western woman, I must admit that I love that song and feel just a wee bit Southern (with a big S) whenever I hear this song. I have been known to belt it out with gusto when alone in the car or at home.
I wish I felt this way about my hometown. I try to make myself look past the the ugly bits – the monotony, the grime, the poverty, but that is all I come up with. I moved away the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school and, despite knowing these kids for 10+ years, couldn’t maintain those friendships. Those 35 miles seemed an impossible distance to we 15 year olds. It took less than 4 months before they and I had moved onto different tracks. One’s high school can seem so self-contained.
My mom also grew up there, even went to the same high school as me, and couldn’t wait to move back a few years ago. She loves the place, even while acknowledging the area’s rather severe socio-economic problems. But then, it’s still full of people that she grew up with and who have been her friends with for most of her life.
How do you feel about your hometown? or do you feel you moved too much to have one?
That is one of my most fave songs!! (I do the same thing….belting it out…when I am ALONE….LOL!!
I HATE my hometown. With a passion. My entire (immediate) family lives there. I am the black sheep. I would rather cut off my left arm, than to move back. YUCK!!
Oh, hey, I ran into Lottie’s site…and I really think you would like it…check it out: http://lottierambleson.wordpress.com/
Thanks for the link. I’ll follow it up soon.
I like the song A LOT! Maybe because I don’t have a home town. I have moved every 2-3 years for most of my life. There are times I feel sad for my boys, they don’t have a home town either.
It’s funny- I remember my hometown fairly well, mainly because of the friendships I’ve maintained and the family members I’ve become closer to by moving away.
However, I’ve been reconnecting with a number of fellow grads from my old HS on Facebook, and it seems like I have nothing in common with them. I see them advocating for political positions and such that seem (I hate sayin’ this) ridiculous to me. I don’t consider myself to be better than them, but in my mind I perceive that I’m not the same person I was then, but many of them are stuck in 1990s West Michigan conservatism.
I guess to sum it up, I like visiting my hometown but I’d never want to live there again.
SabrinaT: I can’t imagine moving every 2-3 years, but I’d like to try it out! I have always had a serious case of wanderlust and often feel trapped by my small part of the planet. I think your boys are some of the most fortunate kids on the planet because of the travel and multi-cultural experiences they are having. If you never moved around, you’d be like me and feel sorry that they’re not seeing more of the world.
FilmChris: That’s often how I feel about this area. I’d live to visit occasionally, but unfortunately I also live here.