Coming home
Have you ever revisited the place where you grew up, and realized how much bigger everything used to seem?
I spent this past week in Moscow, where I spent the first 16 years of my life. I then took a 10 year break, but visit the city about once a year for the last few years.
The first trip after 10 years was mind blowing. I arrived directly from a plane to my school class reunion - with 30 kids I grew up with. It was like stepping back in a time machine, unbelievable.
But there are 2 main things that fascinating about revisiting old places:
1) You feel like you never left. It’s like the world you used to live in is completely separate from the one you’re in now. They never cross.
2) Everything used to seem much bigger when you were a kid. The places that seemed huge are actually tiny. The distances that seemed unwalkable take 10 minutes. The staircases that used to be exhaustingly long now only take a quick hop.
Frame of reference is an amazing thing.