·
family,
ethnic, or cultural origins, especially as the reasons for one's long-standing
emotional attachment to a place or community. "it's always nice to return to my
roots"
The
last entry in this once well-fed but now too lean blog, was November of last year.
I can tell you that several times since then my eyes have stared, in vain, at
the blank screen of the computer. And, at times, there usually is not much that can be done except to get
back to work.
In
all fairness, my time has been quite taken up by ESL classes and a FB page
which demands time and effort. But now, time that has appeared thanks
to that unwelcome visitor which, hiding behind a corona, (Sp. for crown)
is apparently unleashing an unrelenting attack on the human race. This is
forcing me to become better acquainted with my immediate neighborhood and
neighbors, albeit from a deemed safe distance of 2 meters and at least for the
next 15 days.
Because
of this, the excuse for not having writing time has been taken away from me,
and the safety shield this assumption provided has disappeared; it is leaving
me naked -as it were- and without a hiding corner. So … I went back into the
files (yes, I do have a set of separate files for the blog) and noticed
there was a blank page, with just one word written at the top: “ROOTS”.
That
word has several meanings, the best known being its role in plants’ survival
and the second best known having to do with one’s own history and origins. Of
course, since the first one would give me a relatively easy way out to fill a
page or two, that was not the one meaning that created the reason behind that
one word’s existence as a lone reminder.
Why
roots, and why now? Some time has been spent these past days in the process of
putting together and editing a compendium from the blog entries, and I have been reading several of the earlier
entries of this blog. Those which started this sentimental journey some 10
years ago. These initial entries, as they were meant to, dealt with my last weeks
in Cuba and subsequent departure from this Caribbean island, from the city that
saw me come to life and where my childhood and young adulthood were spent and, most importantly, from
the family who had been my world and my safety net whenever life made it a
point of bringing me down to size.
Usually a very small size.
Several
times over the years I have been forced to, or have willingly chosen to, close
yet one more door -so to speak- and begin anew. Several of these occasions have
already been explored in these entries, so I won’t bore you with the details at
this time. But, in going over these it becomes apparent that the act of starting
anew has never been a difficult decision to make or to accept for me. Most
people would question why, after having lived in one place for a while or after
having shared a situation for a time, entertain the idea of leaving it all behind and go
out and explore yet another unknown.
I
have spoken to several friends who have gone through similar early life experiences
and many -not all, mind you- when this subject would be presented and broached,
did indeed recognize it as a familiar feeling. What
does this have to do with “roots”? Maybe nothing; maybe everything. Over the
years, while being able to develop an attachment to a place where I have lived
for a while, the feeling of “fully belonging” hasn’t quite materialized. If
someone were to ask me,
-“Can
you go back to your roots?”
My
answer would most likely be that the make-up of my life which could be deemed
as such, is now so long in the past that it has become, simply, memories to be
enjoyed. Time has taken its toll and it is like looking at a set of old pictures,
somewhat jagged at the edges and with their colors fading. To be sure, those
faded memories are an intrinsic part of my life and of who I am, as every
minute lived since then is. A lot of it in awareness, most of it in the
background.
So,
roots? Yes, they are there. They are as real as can be, yet in a non-binding
way. I am aware of them but must admit they -for me- have become woven into
that ever growing, ever expanding fabric of what, at least, my life has evolved
into. I would like to think that my “roots” are everywhere this living
experience has taken me, and that they include those wonderful people I have met along the
way, and those places where I lived, worked or visited.
And, hopefully, these roots will continue to grow
and expand as an all-inclusive, living organism, as the next years take me
where they may.
Be
Well … Be Back!!!
Final Notes:
· Pray
for those who are
fighting an illness which may take them away from their loved ones… Every
request is heard, and counts!!
