Monday, May 28, 2012

every day

neuchatel_orange


i have been
in neuchâtel
for
over a year
now.

i am struck
with how
something
so foreign
at first
can
normalize.


neuchatel_parking 

neuchatel_laferme 


and then
it becomes
your
every
day.

you walk
the same
streets
past
the same
windows.
it soon
becomes
just
your
walk home
regardless
of whether
it is
in
neuchâtel,
washington dc
or
seattle.


neuchatel_wall

neuchatel_gate

neuchatel_door


when
you have
lived anywhere
long enough
it is
just home.

it isthe
familiar.

neuchatel_doginwindow


i try
to
remember
what was
like to
walk these
streets
when it
was all
so new.
when
everything
was
charming
and
so different
from what
i was use to...


neuchatel_window


i think
abouthow
we lose
the
feeling
of looking
at something
for the
first time.
that feeling
of excitement
associated with
the
unfamilar...

like a baby
holding
an object
for the first time.

how much time
must elapse
before
the novel
becomes
the
every day?

is that
amount
of time
the same
for
all objects?

for
all people?

at every age?


neuchatel_web


i imagine
what it
will be like
to go back
to the states
after being away
for so long...
will it feel
unfamiliar
for a while
or
will it
quickly
feel
like
home
again?

will
i notice
when
the
unfamiliar
passes
into
the familiar?

probably
not.


neuchatel_lake 

xo

4 comments:

lisa solomon said...

it's fun to see neuchatel thru your eyes. it's definitely still new to me !

i think you always adapt to where you are. the US will feel the same in a day or two... ;)

f. pea said...

One of the things I love about having a child is experiencing her wonder at the everyday. So many things I would fail to notice that she makes magical.

kaori said...

Hello,
This is my first time commenting. You have such a beautiful space here!
I have been having similar feelings in my current "new" home of two years, but have never been able to express it so profoundly and beautifully like you did. It really is strange how it becomes the every day.

keishua said...

love this. just moved to a new place about 4 months ago. i feel like i'm continuously discovering something different but also some those different things are becoming a part of my everyday. it's a beautiful process.