Yo-Yo Lives
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Perhaps it is just more noticeable in a country town, the
number of people on the move. Not leaving, but coming and going all the time,
up and down the highway to the city. It doesn't matter what organisation
there are always people missing whether at a meeting or choir practice,
hospital volunteers, bridge club. "Oh so and so will be back in a
few days, three weeks, two months"
No matter the length of time it is now just accepted as a way of
life. It may be due to the increasing number of retired people who, free
from the time constraints of working life, enjoy being able to just go -
whenever the mood takes them. How different from previous generations who
'stayed put' for most of their lives, perhaps having an annual holiday but
mostly not.
Where do these people go? Travelling, holidays both local
and overseas, health reasons where they have to visit specialists in the
city or family reasons, mostly visiting children and grandchildren or like me
babysitting.
It can be difficult when living at a distance from family to give
that regular support which is so important to young families. So grandparents
like me find themselves taking up residence for a few weeks at a time to
provide "essential services" for grandchildren.
There have been loads of films and books over the years dealing
with parallel lives, well sometimes that’s what I feel my yo-yo life is. While I am in the city, fully immersed in the
grandmother role, my life at home is continuing. My partner lives his usual life, immersed in
his musical interests, my pets continue to demand attention, food, exercise and
the different organisations I belong to carry on as before while I stay
tenuously connected by email, text messages and phone.
Do I enjoy it? The variety, change of scenery, different
roles? Well yes I do enjoy all of those
things as well as spending time with my grandchildren and helping my daughter but
there is a price to pay, a sense of dislocation. When I come home after a spell away it takes
time to settle back into this life here, adjusting to a different space, a
different pace and then I discover all the interesting things which happened in
town which I missed out on. In reverse when I get to the city it never quite
coincides with the show I wanted to catch or the film that got rave reviews
finishes the week before I arrive. The weather
is different so I often feel that I don’t have the right clothes with me.
But the major benefit is I'm certainly not in a rut and I don’t take the beauty of either life for granted.
