I travelled to another country, just before the pandemic began, and revelled in the experience. Though primarily an inspiring work trip, there was also a dawn excursion to a red rock formation, a visit to the opera, nature trails, and dinners with close friends.
As rich as the experience was, the road home was sweet. After landing in my home city, there was a sense of unwinding, of vigilance unravelling. “There’s no place like home,” is what Dorothy must chant to return home in the Wizard of Oz. But Dorothy has just been adventuring abroad, and the nuance in the line may be that there is no place like home especially when one returns after some time.
The pleasure of returning home can be experienced in everyday life too. Nevertheless, it was only during the intense home living of the pandemic years that I have realised how much, even for someone like me, home was about departing and returning.
