Music

This is the theme this week I guess. Music.

Perhaps it is because I've been riding busses by myself a bit more the last few days, so I've been turning to my headphones, and tuning the world out.

Today's selection includes Avicii, Michael Jackson, Ed Sheeran, Melissa Etheridge and Guns-n-Roses... As all music selections should.

But the song that caught me today has these lyrics.

Fare thee well; My own true love; Farewell for a while 
I’m going away; But I’ll be back; Though I go 10,000 miles


Now depending on your personal musical tastes, your movie knowledge, and I think some factor should be given to your age.. You may or may not know this song. It is called 10,000 miles sung by Mary Chapin Carpenter and rather prominently featured in the movie Fly Away Home. The song by itself is about losing a loved one and finding them again either in another life or heaven. The movie uses the song to commemorate the loss of a mother and the characters actually travel a great distance...

I like the mellow, easy feel of the song. I always picture myself flying when I hear it... (In the movie, Fly Away Home, the song plays while flying) Anyway, I did a little research. From my home in Appleton, to my second home in Shaoxing, it is approximately 7,200 miles. (as a plane flies)

When I found this number, my first reaction was 'That's all?? It should be farther shouldn't it??'

Then I realized.... distance is not really measured in miles. It's measured in the flight time; it took me 24 hours to get here. It's measured by who is or is not with you. I'm always home among my friends here. But my family is a very long way away. It's measured in moments. I wish my sisters could be here to see some of the things I've seen. Kaitie would love all the little kids I get to see everyday (as naughty as they are sometimes) and Hannah would love the old places mixed with the new. My Grandma's would just love everything and make exclamations about all of it. My parents would love to see me navigate this crazy city... (I also think they'd love to go home after about a week or so). Everyone else would find something here fun, crazy, or amazing just as I have. I've been in the foreign state for a while and things still shock, amaze, and puzzle me. 

So, even though I go 7,200 miles or more... I'll be back. I'm going (gone) away but I'll be back. 

Much love, 

Until next time.