Longing

Everyone pines for different things in life. Fame, success, a lost friend, companionship, and for many of us who are so far from the homes we grew up in, this longing is for the parents and family who we left behind.  When we are young, the decision to move to a foreign land is filled with the spirit of adventure and any anticipation we may have is over ridden by the excitement of starting a new life. But as we grow older, the craving for the familiar or the sense of anxiety that comes from the slowly eroding ties, becomes palpable. We plan annual trips home, lug innane gifts for family members who we see only once a year, cram in  too many house visits and street side eating excursions in a bid to savor every moment, capture as much of what we don't really have any more. It is all silly and sweet at the same time. But no number of trips home or microwavable Haldiram parathas can replace that longing in the heart with a sense of fulfillment. But perhaps that is the truth of the life of an immigrant. We have left our homelands behind, embraced a new culture and re-built new lives- but a small piece of us is always missing and that is what we long for to make us whole.