Box Number One

Having moved a lot, I often have trouble with the question of where I am from. My first instinct and answer is always Tennessee. This always brings blank stares, and here in NY the response "Wow, that must have been a culture shock when you moved here." Do most people only move once and therefore assume that the place one is from is where one has always been up until the current locale?

This always sparks a longer conversation/explanation that includes Franklin, Nashville, Atlanta, Santa Barbara, Kansas City, Buffalo, San Francisco, Boston, and Brooklyn. By the time I make it to Brooklyn the inquirer has fallen asleep, lost interest, has a puzzled look or may have even walked away.

Does my wandering nature create the perception that I am fickle? In that fickleness, have I lost a sense of place? My good friend Cecil was once asked by his young daughter "Where is home?" Cecil's response was "Home is where you hang your hat." His daughter quickly rebutted " What if I don't have a hat?" I have some hats that I have carried with me since leaving home at 18. I take them with me to every place I live. I hang at least one up at each location. I never thought of it as a symbolic gesture before, but it is a collection of random objects that defines the space I call home.

Since we are hiring movers, we have had trouble figuring out what to insure. Unfortunately there is no monetary value placed on sentimentality. But sentimentality and memory is the majority of what marks our belongings. Without a story, they are just objects. Collectively they start to define our personalities, give clues to our nature. Not to mention thousands of photos, if lost would start to chip away at the memory triggers that help guide us forward.

Moving is always an adventure and D just pointed out that, as I pack, I am smiling. When I was a kid I dreamed of moving from Tennessee and always hoped that my father could transfer somewhere new. It would mean new people, a new landscape, new adventure. As an adult I guess that is what I have been seeking. For now, and hopefully for many years to follow, I am ready to call California home.