Good thoughts on how community helps us grow, stay sane, and stay in touch with ourselves. My mother was a librarian, it was her life, and after she retired, she gave up everything about it, just gave up on life, dying five years later after battling deep depression. Today, I just realized as I wrote that last sentence, is her birthday She would have been 92 today, but she died at 75. I live my life now to not be like her, sequestered in her reading chair, letting go of friends, pushing family away. I’m meeting friends in town for dinner tonight, talking to my brother later this morning, and meeting more friends on the road in the next few weeks. I’ve realized being on the road how important it is to reach out to friends, to ask for company, whether it’s a phone call, facetime, or texting jokes and photos back and forth. It does take work to keep my communities going but it is so worth that work.
I didn't remember (or maybe didn't know in the first place) that your mother was a librarian! I'm so sorry to hear about her experience with retirement. May you continue fostering and growing the sense of community she lost. I'm so glad you're finding ways to stay connected while living a nomad lifestyle. Do you ever wonder, if the technology that keeps you connected weren't yet available, would it have kept you from trying the nomad lifestyle?
Good thoughts on how community helps us grow, stay sane, and stay in touch with ourselves. My mother was a librarian, it was her life, and after she retired, she gave up everything about it, just gave up on life, dying five years later after battling deep depression. Today, I just realized as I wrote that last sentence, is her birthday She would have been 92 today, but she died at 75. I live my life now to not be like her, sequestered in her reading chair, letting go of friends, pushing family away. I’m meeting friends in town for dinner tonight, talking to my brother later this morning, and meeting more friends on the road in the next few weeks. I’ve realized being on the road how important it is to reach out to friends, to ask for company, whether it’s a phone call, facetime, or texting jokes and photos back and forth. It does take work to keep my communities going but it is so worth that work.
I didn't remember (or maybe didn't know in the first place) that your mother was a librarian! I'm so sorry to hear about her experience with retirement. May you continue fostering and growing the sense of community she lost. I'm so glad you're finding ways to stay connected while living a nomad lifestyle. Do you ever wonder, if the technology that keeps you connected weren't yet available, would it have kept you from trying the nomad lifestyle?