On Coming from Everywhere

  

I was born in a fair-sized coastal city located in the Bay Area of California, and while I have been able to visit a few lovely areas on the planet, I have lived only about twenty miles from the place of my birth. Therefore I can readily say that I come from San Francisco, California. My husband, on the other hand, was born in Romania and was schooled in France. He made his way to England just as WWII was erupting in Europe. Being multilingual, he helped to re-settle refugees all over Europe and parts of Africa after the war, eventually making his way to America and settling on the West Coast. Therefore he can readily say that he comes from everywhere.

Varied and interesting cultures...

I have had to intentionally broaden my boundaries to include to the varied and interesting cultures that increasingly emigrated to my neighborhood and surroundings. I have had to unsettle myself regularly to become more than my monocultural upbringing. Good thing, too, because unsettlement quickly became a way of life and has continued as part of my growing up…long after I thought I had grown up…because I was one who came from a simple somewhere.

Universally-shared spirit...

However, my husband, coming from everywhere, has never met a stranger, never been unsettled in his greetings of others. He has always recognized the same universally-shared spirit in all, while I have spent a good while in constant discovery.

Live in discovery...

Makes you think that coming from everywhere is not such a bad idea, doesn’t it! Barring that, we can all learn to live in discovery.


http://More Essays About Everything is now available on Amazon

You might also enjoy "On Suiting up."