Went for a drive this afternoon, and passed by the house we previously lived in. Though it was always a bit outdated and rough, my 7 year old saw it and said "call the excavator". Its in bad shape. Hole in one side, half the siding ripped(I suspect unintentionally) on the other, windows damaged, and tubing coming out of the garage window. There was a man sitting in the front yard with a sign that said "spare money", and putting much of what I saw together, I suspect he wasn't wanting it for home repairs. I kind of felt like crying.
I am certain the neighbor who once was annoyed with some of our laid back ways(and older vehicles) now misses us dearly.
Farther down the street, is an empty lot in which some trees and bushes now grow. That is where a house I lived in, too, once stood. However, I don't feel the same when I drive by here. Not only am I impressed with the trees, I feel a bit of relief. You'd think I'd have suffered there, but I didn't, really. I just never liked the house.
Our houses tend to outlive us. While we have a typical lifespan of 60-100 years, a properly cared for house can stand for much longer. They develop personalities all their own, and they get an energy to them that can be just as strong, if not stronger, than a person's. A lot of time we feel a strong connection to a childhood home(for me, I feel nothing for my childhood home, but tormented every time they change something on the neighbor's), either being positive or negative based on our experiences with being young, but sometimes another house takes precedence as the place we feel is 'home'.
What is your experience? Do you have a connection with a house past or present? Is/was it yours, or someone else's? Perhaps just a place you passed by for years? What houses are meaningful to you?
I am certain the neighbor who once was annoyed with some of our laid back ways(and older vehicles) now misses us dearly.
Farther down the street, is an empty lot in which some trees and bushes now grow. That is where a house I lived in, too, once stood. However, I don't feel the same when I drive by here. Not only am I impressed with the trees, I feel a bit of relief. You'd think I'd have suffered there, but I didn't, really. I just never liked the house.
Our houses tend to outlive us. While we have a typical lifespan of 60-100 years, a properly cared for house can stand for much longer. They develop personalities all their own, and they get an energy to them that can be just as strong, if not stronger, than a person's. A lot of time we feel a strong connection to a childhood home(for me, I feel nothing for my childhood home, but tormented every time they change something on the neighbor's), either being positive or negative based on our experiences with being young, but sometimes another house takes precedence as the place we feel is 'home'.
What is your experience? Do you have a connection with a house past or present? Is/was it yours, or someone else's? Perhaps just a place you passed by for years? What houses are meaningful to you?