Having never lived in the same house for more than five or six years in my entire life has stunted my rooting ability. My parents lived in Hartford CT when I was born, and we stayed there for a year. Then we moved to East Haddam and lived there until I was six. Then we moved to Deep River and lived there until I was about eleven. Then we moved to Ivoryton where I lived for the longest time in my history to date - six years.
Since the circumstances around my leaving home were dysfunctional to say the least, I lived in a variety of places depending on what was happening in my life. During the next three years this is where I lived and everything I valued could be packed in boxes and put in the trunk of my 1965 purple VW Bug:
1. My friend's grandmother's house - Centerbrook
2. The retirement home where I had a job in the kitchen - Centerbrook
3. My boyfriend's home - Ivoryton
4. My father's house - Waterford
5. A friend's house - Waterford
6. An apartment - Groton
7. Back at my mother's house - Ivoryton
In Groton I met my first husband, Crystal and Gabe's dad. We settled in New London, in a wonderful old home that contained 4 apartments. Crystal was born there, and we lived there for about five years. We bought a small bungalow down the street from the apartment, where Gabe was born. We lived there for about four years then moved to a house in Montville. After a year there our family changed, we were now a family of three - Crystal, Gabe and me. We lived there for another eighteen months and Dan came back but this time I left. I accepted a house sharing opportunity in the neighboring town so I could still be close to Crystal and Gabe. Dan lasted about a year as a 'single parent', (his mom moved in with him, my poor kids) then lost the house due to an addiction problem and non-payment of bills. He was also approaching a breakdown. I found a trailor in Montville where I could live with Crystal and Gabe, and accepted the marriage proposal of Sean's dad. We lived in the trailor, the five of us, for two years when Mike's Navy career sent us to Virginia Beach VA. Two years in Virginia and we were transferred to New Jersey. Three years there, and next to Minnesota for about 4 months to await housing in Mississippi. Three years in Mississippi, and off to Groton CT. One big circle...after ten years I was back in Connecticut, minus Crystal and Gabe who had grown and left the transitory nest.
Sean and I lived in Groton for two years, and then I bought a house in Norwich and we lived there for two years. Paul and I decided to marry and bought a house in Voluntown, where we live today. It is now going on three years here in Voluntown. No longer being subjected to transfers, and no circumstances currently existing to cause a geographical change means I don't have to move if I don't want to.
Three years. There is a restlessness I can feel bubbling up. An instinct, a whisper, starting to hint that its getting on time to move on again. I wonder if I will ever be able to say in my life, "I lived _______________ for 20 years". I wonder if I want to. I don't know. I've never done it. Its said that moving is high on the list of top 10 stressors in our lives. Right up there with divorce and death of a loved one. That tells me that within the parameters of my history I have become so accustomed to that level of stress that I might actually seek it! If circumstances don't provide it, I may have to create it. Wonder what I'll think of to mix up my now perhaps TOO comfortable situation...
Thats okay. Stable is for horses.
Peace
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