Thank you for this beautiful ode to a place that has meant so much to you! In the past year and a half, I have said goodbye to two places that have been with me since childhood, and although I can revisit them, they are not as I knew them and thus no longer “mine”. (One I revisit often, and the other I have no desire to.) I started a practice with these goodbyes--taking the time to say goodbye to the space (physically going to every nook and cranny) and as you said, “allowing the memories to rise and live beyond the walls of time and space.” My versions of those places may no longer exist, but their memories live on in me, and I can revisit within myself any time I want. There’s still lots of grief and loss, but I discovered that it’s easier for me to process that after making space for a (lengthy) goodbye. I’m glad to hear others have found this practice to be useful as well!
Thank you for this beautiful ode to a place that has meant so much to you! In the past year and a half, I have said goodbye to two places that have been with me since childhood, and although I can revisit them, they are not as I knew them and thus no longer “mine”. (One I revisit often, and the other I have no desire to.) I started a practice with these goodbyes--taking the time to say goodbye to the space (physically going to every nook and cranny) and as you said, “allowing the memories to rise and live beyond the walls of time and space.” My versions of those places may no longer exist, but their memories live on in me, and I can revisit within myself any time I want. There’s still lots of grief and loss, but I discovered that it’s easier for me to process that after making space for a (lengthy) goodbye. I’m glad to hear others have found this practice to be useful as well!
Beautiful. Thank you. ❤️