When we are stricken and cannot bear our lives, then a tree has something to say to us: Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Home is neither here nor there. Home is within you. – Herman Hesse
Spring has a way of stimulating us with a sense of newness, a diversion from the old. Usually when something new or different occurs, we think: “Wow! I’m so excited about these new insights, new surroundings, new friends.” Old habits and activities may be replaced with different activities, fresh excitement, new pressures. But the novelty of the new can wear off, and we may find ourselves missing the old and the familiar – a longing ache for what has been well-known to us. At times we may even feel a tad of “homesickness” thinking of the faces of old friends and family and places.
Homesickness can happen to anyone who is away from their familiar life, their old “home.” Over the years we have learned what “homesickness” really is. In the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, homesickness is defined as “distress and functional impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from ‘home’ and family or friends.” Those who suffer from this condition may feel sadness, nervousness, anxiety, and most often an obsessive preoccupation with thoughts of something they think of as “home.”
According to Josh Klapow, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the University of Alabama, homesickness isn’t necessarily about “home.” Nor is it really an illness. Rather it comes from our natural desire for security, love, and protection – feelings we usually associate with “home.” When these qualities aren’t present in a new environment, we begin to long for them. We’re missing what’s normal, what is regular or habitual for us.
When we feel such a longing, it may help to surround ourselves with some of our favorite things to make us feel more comfortable. Listening to our much-loved music, looking at photos of our family, loved ones, or of places that mean something to us may help us feel less melancholy or sad. We may feel restored by going to a church, a synagogue, a park, or a sacred place to be with the Divine. We might want to establish a routine time for talking with the Divine which can help to fill our day with hope and give us something to look forward to – especially if we feel surrounded by “darkness.” Perhaps then we might discover the feeling of being “home.”
* What is the “darkness” that surrounds you and can make you feel “homesick”?
* What are ways that you can experience “home” in your life?
Great Divine One, we thank you for your patient love for us – even when we are like frightened children who tend to forget how much you love us. Help us when we feel hungry, homesick, yearning for “home.” May we learn to turn to you as our “home” and that indeed we will find “home” with you. Amen.
Joy Carol
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