It’s OK.

On Missing : It’s ok not to miss everyone every minute of the day. But it’s also ok to miss everyone every minute of the day. The important piece of this is acknowledging that space can trump place; meaning, you can be in the same space emotionally and mentally and supportively whilst not being physically in the same place. As a Millennial Adult Third Culture Kid, there are a couple metaphors I’ve discussed with others about this space/place concept. For example, consider a garden to represent your family, friends, community (and yourself too). Each of you represent a different species in the garden but you are a part of the same unique garden…in the same space but not necessarily in the same place. Perhaps your immediate family is the same species, and you are an extension of it. Rooted in similar, but uniquely different ways. Each one is growing at different speeds. Perhaps some are fractured in certain ways but not broken off or uprooted from the species. …..The metaphor can be endless….. And as the species learn to do better in surviving and thriving through element changes, experience, and help from the gardener, so do we as we continue to learn about how to cultivate communities of care for ourselves and for others in the growth, in the seasons, and in the changes. Life is not static in any way. And it’s ok to miss my family and upbringing and to not miss it at all. Because life is also about living in and through those contradictions and tensions and continuing forward. Continue to acknowledge each other and prune the entanglements that don’t let you thrive. We’re in this large garden together. 🌱