On Placelessness

"We don't stand much chance of perpetuating ourselves as a culture, or restoring and sustaining the health of our land, unless we can outgrow our boomer adolescence and mature into stickers, or nesters - human beings willing to take on the responsibilities of living in communities rooted in place, conserving nature as we conserve ourselves."

—John Daniel, from "A Word in Favor of Rootlessness"

A friend's status update today on Facebook asked this question, inspired by the knowledge that we're both currently packing to move (her across the state, me across town): How many times have you moved? Is it normal to be a gypsy?  We worked together in Sequoia and both spent many years living an itinerant life. In response, I made a list, one that surprises - and perhaps stuns - even me. The final count (and there may be others I've missed) is: in my lifetime, I've lived in 16 different/unique places, and within those have moved 40 different times. Interesting that about 2/3 of those occurred in a 9-year period, between the ages of 19 and 28. I'm not sure what to think about all that, am still thinking about it. But it helps me understand a little, maybe not the source or motivation of that almost-compulsive movement, how it is that I find myself unable to connect with place and landscape.