Grow up. Leave house. Return. This is a circle that each of us has been through. The older we get to, the more we want to escape from protection of our parents and to make our own way into the world. There is a strong desire in the grown-up to try things out and to make mistakes no matter what. And then when a mistake is made, we learn a greater deal of appreciating the protection we used to have.
When I was nested, I like to use the image a young bird who wants to fly far to discover new horizons. Every time I look up to the sky, I see myself there, limitless, ambitious and curious. Yet the more I fly, the more I want to return, not for the sake of being in the comfort zone again but for love and caring. Out there it can be dangerous. Not nice people teach me how nice some people I have met. Failures push us to grow.
Does that mean we should just stay and not leave ever? Well, no, because without leaving, we would never appreciate the staying and never get to experience the return. New perspectives tend to arrive in a new environment. We will get to see things differently and there will be such a reflection of “I used to think … but now I think …”. And we can only connect the dots by looking back, not looking forward. Every now and then, we suddenly pause and look around and wonder “how am I doing?” as well as “how is this or that person doing?”. Time flies, experiences are built up and we all grow (in different ways and different pace). Maybe we were kids when we left and now we are better kids or newly adults, one with life lessons and wisdom. “Who I am” might have been extended.
As if life is not permanent, so does the state of leaving. Leaving will not be meaningful without returning. And regardless, it is always good to leave if it is for growing. “Life is grow, we grow or we die”
