Visiting the place of my birth

Last week my sister and I ventured to Los Angeles, the city we grew up in.  The purpose of our visit was to see our aunt who we have not seen in over 20 years, to spend time with my sister's childhood friend and to see our cousins.  The visits were all so rich.  We left with our hearts (and bellies) full.  

And there was another side to our visit.  We both left LA a long time ago and rarely go back.  We found our visit to be overwhelming and had difficulty being there.  The mere size of LA, the traffic, the noise, the air, the concrete tugged at our souls and we felt drained and exhausted and dazed.  It was good to go home.

I find it interesting how different both aspects of our visit were.  The contrast of personal deep connection with people, and the separation and despair of the physicality of the environment. This was not the same city we grew up in, but, the relationships are those we grew up with.

I feel blessed to have experienced both!