Last weekend, three of us went to the mountainous Spanish countryside to retreat from the normal grind of life. We drank in the green, the quiet, and space to read, write, and think.
I knew I was still in Spain, but it looked so different from Mytown that I kept saying things like, “When I get back to Spain…” To me, Spain is noisy streets full of colorful immigrants, not silent citrus trees dotting an overgrown garden. To be in the Spanish countryside awoke longings in me that typically get silenced in the distractions of city life.
Months ago, a friend recommended the book Between Worlds: Essays on Culture and Belonging by Marilyn R. Gardner. There, straddling those separate Spanish worlds, I figured it was as good of a time as any to start reading.
Gardner writes, “I’ve come to realize that longing is ok as long as it does not paralyze, as long as I slowly continue to embrace the life that has been given at this time, at this moment” (Airports, par. 19).
Back in Mytown, far away from the calming Spanish countryside and even farther from my Illinois family and friends, I sometimes long for what I don’t grasp between my fingers. But will I let that longing rob me of today? Or can the far away people, places, and experiences of my life shape me into who God has called me to be where He has called me to be, right here?
What about you? Will you let your past life experiences and unfulfilled longings shape your today for the good?
It’s a choice, I think. Perhaps mixed with some trial and error. But a choice to let longing live inside of you, enriching but not robbing you.
My Thoughts From Afar | 
Thanks Trish. This felt like it was meant for me 🙂
You’re so welcome. 🙂
This was very timely. Thank you for putting words to something I was struggling to articulate to a friend.
You’re welcome, Em. I hope this gives you a starting point to share your own unique perspective. 🙂
Good thoughts about longings, Trisha. Memories can rob us of present joy. And sometimes the green grass we think we see in another place is unrealistic. The design God plans for us right where we are placed is best. So glad you could take a quick refreshing retreat.
Yes, whether it’s living in regret or glamorizing the past, dwelling there will rob us of the present. Thank you, Lois!