The concept of “home” has changed dramatically for me over the past decade, but there are still places where that feeling of belonging is particularly strong.
I have two photos that I want to share because the feelings they evoke impact me in the same way:
Living away from my hometown means that I only get to visit a couple times a year, if I’m lucky. There is one moment that makes me automatically feel safe and comfortable again – flying over the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Ironically, that same place can make me feel sad and dejected when I’m flying in the opposite direction.
But when we’re on our approach to Christchurch and I can see the Waimakariri River below me, I know I’m almost home. Back to the familiar.
I’m not a beach person, far from it. But I have been finding lately that each time I go home, I have to stop off at New Brighton Beach and see the pier. I think that maybe because so much has been changing in Christchurch – more and more buildings are being demolished and the rebuild after the earthquakes is in full swing, that perhaps I see the pier as being the one constant in the ever changing city.
And each time I see this sight, one song comes to mind – Making Memories by Ollie Green & Josh Devine. The first lines of the song go like this:
Out on the beach
Sand on my feet
I know Home
Pretty much sums everything up right there!
Hello World. It's Me, Sarah 