Temporary Home
Hi There 👋
This spring will be filled with personal monologues, as I said in my last post, but this one was a little more spontaneous. I really enjoyed putting my thoughts together on this life change! I hope you can find something in this, too.
I am writing this from my new townhouse that I bought! While it's an exciting time, it's my ninth move since my Freshman year of college six and half years ago. That's way too many times to deal with Comcast/AT&T. Sure, the college moves were transporting a mattress from one place to the next, but it's still calling a new place "home." Throughout college, any time I told my mom I was going home to my apartment, she would say, "That's not your home." Home is always where I am with her in my mom's mind. Everything else is temporary.
Your 20s are full of memories in these temporary homes; even the two moves I made back to my parent's house were only for a moment. Life seems to fly by in a temporary setting. At the end of every 1-year lease, I always say, "But we just moved in!" Why is that? When you move someplace new, you're constantly trying new things.Â
Temporary Creates Eagerness
In the two years, I've been back in Nashville, I have met people from all over the country who have moved here. When a city's population grows, so does its infrastructure. Nashville now has many fun/cool/trendy spots all over town. People who are new to the city or temporarily live here are eager to experience these places.
When I tell out of towners that I am from here, they usually follow up with, "Oh, you must love *insert place*," or "What's your favorite spot over here?" Usually, my response is, "I don't know." Being a native, I still have not experienced everything Nashville offers. It's not because I hate the city, but it comes from a feeling of, "Oh, I'll do that some other time." The greater Nashville area has been a place I have called home for so long and, at times, feels permanent.Â
Therefore, buying a house in Nashville is one of the most permanent feelings I've ever felt. Even if I know it's not permanent, I signed a mortgage that has a 30-year payment schedule to $0. Whoa. The previous eight moves I mentioned were genuinely temporary. At the end of the 1-year lease, I had the option to re-sign or move out. That day won't come anymore. No one will tell me to pack up and take a hike; I can stay here as long as I want.
Permanent Creates Complacency
I'm writing this because I don't want to get complacent. I want to live my life like I'm in a temporary state. That means waking up and saying, "How much can we do today?" - versus - "Oh, I'll do that some other time…" knowing good and well, that time may never come. The excuses could start piling up for why I can't make dinner, see friends, or go into work. Screw that. My favorite Mark Twain quote is this:
"Most men die at 27; we just bury them at 72."
We know this is true from the two types of old people we deal with: stubborn and joyful. The stubborn old folks are usually the news watchers with no other agenda but to get mad at the world. Alternatively, the joyous old people keep an active lifestyle and continue to pour into other people.
That's what a house should be about:Â Pouring into others. It's the only way to ensure complacency never takes over.
Who knows what circumstances I will face in this new season of life. As much as I try and control things, I know there is a greater plan. More than ever, I can confidently say this because of the trust I have in my true permanent home, not on Earth but in Heaven. Similar to what my mom would tell me in college, there is a Savior who is saying:
"This is not your home…Â
This is temporary."
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.
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I've blankly stared at ceiling after ceiling
wondering what this season contains.
Too much worried about the next dealing,
and if it will free me from present strains.
This curiosity keeps me upright
like a mouse eager to get the cheese.
I'm hopeful one day I get it write
about all the chances I seized.
But there is an entire world outside of my wheel,
one of great suffering, sorrow, and pain.
A world where I can't ignore its feel,
despite my earthly gain.
So let this house be a reason
to pour into others and gather with merry.
And remember the One who promised,
everything you see is temporary.