Identifying With My Roots and Moving Forward in Life
During a recent trip to the east coast I had a revelation that opened my eyes and my heart.
Ya gotta know the beginning before we get to the juicy part…
I was born in Brooklyn, New York and then moved to Holbrook, Long Island with my family when I was 14. That was a lifetime ago and yet - I still identify with those roots.
“Yeah, I’m from Brooklyn and Long Island.“ stating it like I’m wearing a badge of honor or some such shit.
That is up until quite recently when my wife and I visited the East Coast. We went to Vermont for the total solar eclipse (phenomenal and breathtaking) and then down to Long Island for a few days of visiting places that I haven’t seen in many years.
We had a great time visiting the Long Island Music Hall of Fame https://www.limusichalloffame.org to see the Billy Joel – My Life, A Piano Man’s Journey – The Ultimate Exhibition! https://www.limusichalloffame.org/billy-joel-exhibit
My wife and I are fans of Billy Joel and really enjoyed the exhibition, which runs through the summer of 2024. We’ve seen him in concert over the years and we’ll see him again when he is in Denver this summer. Hey, Bill!
After a few days on the eastern part of Long Island I noticed something in myself that I hadn’t noticed before - I no longer identify with this place. It’s been nearly 50 years since I left Long Island and a lot has changed over that length of time. Including me.
We visited a couple of beaches that I used to go to as a teenager. We enjoyed a walk on the beach in South Hampton despite the fact this is April and is quite cool, windy and the ocean had the dark gray cloak from being churned up.
I admit to missing life on the beach. Must be from the gazillions of negative ions that get stirred up from the interaction of the water, the air and the ground.
Or maybe I’m remembering fun times hanging out with friends while slowly roasting in the sun until my skin turned a shade of red that looks better on an apple.
Mostly what I noticed from this trip to Long Island is the realization I would not choose to live here again. THAT was new. Even though nostalgia kicks in every once in a while longing for those summer days, overall that longing feels more like an anchor holding me to the past. Moving forward is one of my primary drivers in life. It’s time to cut that anchor loose and continue to move forward.
As we drove west to leave New York I felt waves of emotion as I came to terms with letting go of this part of my life. Driving on the Belt Parkway past Brooklyn and over the Verrazano bridge towards Staten Island I was filled with a strong sadness that was overwhelming. I kept breathing into that emotion. Cutting cords with my past was freeing me to accept my future however that plays out.
My ancestors arrived at Ellis Island in 1900 when they fled Europe for a better life for their families. I am creating my own future as a Master Gestaltist, a life coach, similar to how my relatives created their own futures.
I am grateful to those intrepid people who came to America with little else than sheer courage and a commitment to making a better life.
As Billy Joel wrote in his song Scenes From an Italian Restaurant:
“Then the king and the queen went
Back to the green
But you can never go back
There again.”
Well, I definitely wasn’t the king or queen of the prom in high school and I didn’t hang out in the village green in the city. I was more of a wood elf type of kid.
It’s the last line of that verse that resonates. I discovered on this trip to Long Island, after leaving almost 50 years ago to the day (April 24 1976, my dad’s birthday), that I no longer identify with the area.
Yeah, I’ll always be from Brooklyn and Long Island - but those places don’t define who I am these days.
My next post will be about how mindfulness helps people with Post Traumatic Stress, something I know from personal experience.
If you love this story and know someone who could use a bit of inspiration please share this with them.
In gratitude.
Glenn
