On being from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

Last night I was talking to my partner about my recent trip to Door County. I was telling him about the trolley tour we did and how at the end of it our driver played "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver. I got goosebumps.

As the song played, two elderly ladies who were sisters stepped off the trolley and we could all see them walking away while the music played behind them. It was like a movie. I couldn't quite put a name on what I was feeling that day but I know now it was nostalgia.

Nostalgia because the scene made me think about all the places I could call home. Places I wish those country roads could take me back to, only they are quite far away to get to by car.

I haven't been to Venezuela, my home country, since 2012. That's a road, or a few airplanes, I hope to take again soon. Then there's Hollywood, Florida where my parents live and that I wish I could visit more often. And then there's Madison, where I have lived more than half my life.

Having all these places I call home also made me think about the other dualities in my life. Being a creative and a business professional (I talk more about this in this post if you'd like to read more). Being an immigrant with roots in more than one place. Being bilingual, where sometimes you want to say something that makes perfect sense in Spanish but when you say it in English it just doesn't translate the same way.

Nostalgia because you leave a piece of your heart in all these places. But I think that is exactly what makes us resilient. Going through the experience of letting go of places, things, and plans is how we grow and become more appreciative of the life we have lived.

It is good to feel nostalgic. It is proof that we felt love during our human experience.