Home

One of the movies that stays with me the most from the past several years is "Kings", adapted from Jimmy Murphy's critically-acclaimed play The Kings Of The Kilburn High Road. It's a fairly true to life account of many an Irish ex-pat living in north London in the 70's and 80's. And the acting, particularly by Colm Meaney, hits the mark.

There's a lot of relevance in this movie to my own background, not just family history (my parents having emigrated to London in the 60's, returning to Ireland in '79 with my 4 older siblings and myself, a soon-to-be 1yr old, in tow), but in the broader sense of my experience growing up. Still, the words that I am oft reminded of are not specific to the Irish-English connection...

Wondering if he'd be better off returning to the country of his birth, one of the main characters sums up his lack of a sense of belonging:

We're never at home, neither here nor there.

It's funny the effect those words have on me. For the most part, I consider myself lucky to have many places I call home. My house in Minneapolis, my family home, the area where I grew up, and a number of other places that for whatever reason have always made me feel "at home". But still, there is something unsettling about hearing those words spoken as if they were spoken just for me.

As always, I've enjoyed this trip home (I am still here - extended a few more days due to work). And as always, I am more happy than sad to be returning to home in MN.

In many ways, I never want to have just one home. But why then can I not let go of those words?