You Can Never Go Home. Go Home Anyway.

There’s an old saying, “You Can Never Go Home.”

I understand the sentiment behind the proverb, but I feel the need to add to it, with:

“You can never go home. You’re already there, and you’ve never left.”

When you go back to places and people from your past, they’re never quite the same as you remembered them. Sometimes you’re let down and disappointed by what you find but often they’re exactly as you left them. It’s a strange feeling returning to a childhood haunt or place of past importance to you. It feels like you’re walking onto the set of your own movie or surreal painting created a long time ago, and now it’s right in front of you. It’s even stranger to contact someone you haven’t spoken to in years and say hello.

Go to a place you haven’t visited in a long time - somewhere important to you. Time has a way of changing your perceptions of old places.

Call or email someone you haven’t talked to since you were a kid - maybe an old friend, neighbor, relative, or teacher. They’ll be surprised, and so will you.

It’s exciting and satisfying, but I’m not entirely sure why.