Yesterday, Carrie and I received a card in the mail from my parents.

It’s the first “real” letter I have received in over a year via the “real” mail.

Opening it up, it included a card with a very nice quote, some much appreciated handwritten words from my parents, and some pressed fall leaves from my parent’s backyard, so that we could have a bit of Colorado fall while we’re experiencing spring in New Zealand.

I cried when I opened it.

I don’t cry much in my life (call it manly pride or something), but did when I opened the package.

I miss my family.

Of course, Carrie and I are a family.  Carrie feels like home to me, and being with her is being home.

At the same time, this is the longest either of us has ever gone without seeing our families, and the longest both of us have been away from Colorado at one stretch… (6 months).  And really, other than the two very short trips we’ve taken back, we’ve been away for over a year and a month.

Time flies… but even knowing that, we’re both a bit homesick at the moment.

If we had “jobs” which required us to be here in New Zealand, or jobs which required us to do the kind of traveling we’re doing, the perception of me saying we’re a bit homesick would be “I’m really sorry to hear that your job is taking you away from your home and family.”

Because we’re choosing to be here, there’s a part of me that feels like it’s not okay for me to talk about being homesick.

In writing this, I’m imagining there’s some person in the “out there” who’s going “Oh, poor you… you get to travel the world, and now you’re whining about being homesick.  Give me a break!”

Most people view taking a job as something you have to do, almost like someone else is making you do it.

The reasoning you often hear behind this is:

• “It’s a really great opportunity.”
• “You have to pay the bills.”
• “At least you’ll have a job.”

Or something similar.

However, the person choosing to be away from family/friends/home for a job is making an equal level of choice (they have as much freedom in making that choice) as us choosing to be here in pursuit of a dream of traveling the world.

It’s just that socially, it’s okay to go away from your family and the things that you love in order to earn money, while it’s less socially okay go away from your family and the things that you love to pursue dreams and goals (and other things that you love – like travel and adventure), even if those dreams and goals are leading you to bigger personal and financial gain (even if you’re not 100% certain how just yet on the bigger financial gain).

At least that’s how I feel right now.

What do you think?

I know they’re not mutually exclusive, but keeping that in mind:

Is the person who goes away from family and friends for job reasons more entitled to feel homesick than the person who goes away from friends and family in pursuit of dreams, aspirations, and goals?