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I’ve been feeling a little sad lately. Our time in Europe is coming to an end and soon we’ll be moving home to Minnesota. Though we’re also excited to be heading back to the U.S., now that we’re in the home stretch I’m getting nostalgic. We’ve grown accustomed to our small town, our apartment with the huge picture windows and nice balcony, our proximity to Europe and especially England, which I love, and where I’ve made wonderful friends.
Since we only have a couple of months left, I’ve begun noting the last time we’ll see this, the last time we’ll do that. When we were in Zürich recently, I wondered if it was the last time we’d eat at our favorite lunch spot there. I wonder how many times we’ll get back to the lake for the kids’ favorite gelato. And yesterday was the “last time” I would see my Swiss hairdresser.
Okay, I admit I added the previous sentence as a bit of comic relief in this maudlin tale. I’m not really crying over my hairdresser (not quite). But I realize it’s not so much the “last times” that I’m sad about (though I really do like my hairdresser): it’s the passage of time. My daughter has spent four of her five years here; she’s a girl now, not a baby just learning to walk. My son, who was a second grader when we moved, will be starting middle school in the fall. And I, who was comfortably in my mid-forties when we came to Switzerland, am now hanging onto them by the slimmest of threads.
It’s the end of a mini-era for our family, and we’re moving back home. For those of you who have moved around through the years, how does it work for you? Does the newness of the change outweigh the nostalgia, or do you miss what you had? Or both?
Kristin Celms 
All the best in the next chapter for you and your family Kristin,
Thanks, Helen. I plan on continuing to read your lovely blog and I hope to get back to the UK soon!
Lovely post, Kristin. I think of moving as a new beginning. You don’t leave the old life behind – you carry it with you in your little bag of memories. I wish you and your family all the best. Jx
Hi Jane, thanks for the lovely comment. Yes, you’re right of course. We have many wonderful memories of our time here, and I hope we’ll feel as if it’s “easy” to come back for visits.
Good luck with the move home, Kristin. I’m sure the excitement of being home will keep the sadness at bay at what you’re leaving behind. I’ve lived abroad for different stretches of time and it has made me appreciate my homeland even more. I do get nostalgic for the other places I’ve lived but I like that feeling – I have also made lots of happy memories and had lots of new experiences to feed my writing.
Hi Amanda, and thanks so much for your comment. I think you’re probably right that the excitement about being back will temper the nostalgic feelings I have now. And the U.S. is still “home” to me, after all!
Oh, I know how you feel! Doing things for the last time is sad, and it’s hard to enjoy all the things you’ve come to love when you know you’ll be leaving them behind soon.
Here’s to hoping you can live in the moment more–and worry about the future less–until the big day comes.
Hi Erin, Thanks so much for your comments. You’re right – it’s definitely hard to live in the moment when so much change is looming in front of you. But I’m trying. A long weekend in Venice (coming up very soon) will probably help with that as well. 🙂 I saw that you completed your draft – hurrah for you!! And I love the title.