Recently, a work trip prompted a quick trip to Fresno, Calif., where I attended college to earn my undergraduate degree. The trip was past due; it had been nearly 10 years since my last visit.
As I drove around town and visited with old friends, memories broke free from the back of my mind. Many important pieces of who I am stem from those years.
Almost 20 years ago, I loaded my Chevy Impala with as many possessions as it could fit and took off on the 2,000-mile journey to California. The third day of the journey, I knew I was getting close as I drove through the Tehachapi Pass on a rare clear morning. This was the same route traveled by the family in the “Grapes of Wrath,” and it was even more moving than John Steinbeck described. That first glimpse of the San Joaquin Valley extending for miles across the valley, dotted with crops of every color, filled me with a sense of awe. I was assured that studying agriculture was my real passion and Fresno would be where that studying came to life.
Moving so far away from my family was a chance to spread my wings and stand on my own. I learned how to build my own community and network from scratch. My understanding of the world grew deeper through inspiring people like the Jewish family that rented me a bedroom. My time in Fresno gave me access to a more diverse group of friends and mentors who continue to teach and inspire me.
In my last year on campus, an obligatory introduction in the John Deere exhibit of the World Ag Expo in Tulare was meant to just be polite. That introduction morphed into my own meet-cute moment and led to me finding my perfect partner for life.
My time in college was filled with moments of innovation, creativity and triumph. Other moments feature the lessons of trial, error and failure which are equally important in building my problem solving, adaptability and making me a better human.
My trip was filled with joyful meetings and happy memories but the melancholy of nostalgia crept into my time in Fresno. Many parts of who I am have roots in the four years I spent in Fresno, and I think in many ways it still feels like home.
This trip made me homesick. Years ago, I followed career opportunities that led me away from Fresno and I never looked back. Today, I have a more mature and bigger picture understanding that clearly shows how fortunate I am to have these people and places in my life. It makes me sad to let them go again and that is okay. It’s healthy to feel sad sometimes because it makes the joy so much sweeter.
We all have people and places that have helped to make us who we are. I encourage everyone to occasionally take time to remember and reflect, approach others with an attitude of gratitude, and give yourself permission to feel all your emotions.
There is no place like home, but it is OK to have more than one home.
“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.
