"Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet."
- Luke 7:41-46
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The feeling of placelessness is a bit like a dream: the heightened romance, the intense brooding, the inherently transitory nature of the whole affair. Placelessness happens when we find ourselves inhabiting “in-between” spaces like hotels or apartments in far-away places that we don’t know well and where we won’t stay long.
- Cody C. Delistraty, The Eroticism of Placelessness
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how to remain connected without getting caught up. how to stay grounded without getting buried. how to take on the world without getting weighed down
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Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-20
Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4:5-7
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I think the key to good humour and good science lies in detachment - the art of being uninvolved, the ability to step outside of the situation and be an objective observer - whereas the key to great poetry is entanglement - the art of imagining yourself as an inextricable part of everything and feeling that everything is a part of yourself.
Why is the world so vast? Why would I choose to live in a land other than my native country, state or city? Maybe it's to experience freedom, and along with it loneliness and longing and the sharp pang of unbelonging. Maybe the source of all this anguish comes of mistaking a hotel for a home. Perhaps all this pain and poignancy arises from a lack of detachment.
Maybe the belief that this world is all there is might have something to do with why I treat every missed opportunity like a tragedy, every uncomfortable interaction as a catastrophe, why i cannot behold beauty without being plagued by anxious anticipation of the moment it fades away. why i hold on tight to both pain and blessing the same - too tight to appreciate or learn from it. Among the myriad things I've forgotten or left behind, perhaps one of them is the luxury of knowing that I belong somewhere else. Letting go isn't easy but it is essential. Understanding that this world is one beautiful letdown after another makes that process a bit easier, and perhaps a little more peaceful.
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