For many years when I would tell anyone I was going back to Ohio to see my family I would refer to it as "going home." Apparently, it didn't matter that I hadn't lived there for years and that my home was now in another state. It was always referred to as "home."
This past weekend I made an impromptu visit to Ohio and was hit with the feeling that it was no longer a familiar place to me. So many things have changed over the years that it felt somewhat foreign to me. Driving around one afternoon I found myself mixing memories with questions. "Was that intersection always a stop light?" "Has that house always been there?" "When did the traffic flow around the town square change?" It certainly was a mix of emotions for me as I saw the small towns I grew up near grow into bigger towns while still trying to maintain that small town feel.
Taking off for Chicago I looked out the window and thought "It's not my home anymore but it'll always hold a special place in my heart."
i feel the same way when i go "home" these days. being in my hometown will always spark memories and nostalgia, but it isn't my true home anymore.
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