Home?

So right now I'm midway through a week-long trip up to Alaska, and it's a little strange.

Because I did showings of "Bible Camp" in December and March, I've actually been up here more recently, which ends up meaning that I have less news, less to share with people. It's a strange position to be in. I suppose I have new solid information when it comes to what direction my life is taking, but other than that, things are pretty much how they were last March. One of the best parts of visiting my home-state is usually the fact that I have a lot of catching up to do with a lot of people, and this time around this is just not the case. In fact, the difference in this trip extends beyond the realm of just catching up with people.

"Alaska will always be my home," has been a phrase I've used with my non-Alaskan friends. And while it is likely this statement will always have a bit of truth in it, I'm no longer sure how far it goes. I think most of us have a place in our hearts for the "halcyon days of old," but when push comes to shove, rose-colored glasses seem only to come with blinders. So now that I'm back in my favorite state, the blinders are gone and I'm suddenly in a whole different place. Maybe I've grown accustomed to the ridiculous amounts of sunshine afforded by central-Oregon, but the constant overcast skies are as far away from an idyllic Alaskan summer as I can possibly remember. Friends have moved on, things have changed, and while it always seems like things should stay the same while I'm gone, they don't. It's like watching a TV show for years without missing an episode, and then missing nearly all of a season while I start watching a new show. I don't know what's going on half of the time because I've missed a whole set of inside jokes, relationship shifts, and characters growing up. A strange feeling, for sure.

So while it's great to be back where I grew up, it's not quite as I left it. And perhaps it's supposed to be that way.