Staying Put by Scott Russell Sanders

Although Sanders moved many times in his early years, it is his memories of Portage County in Ohio that are dearest. In his own words,

"It remains for me a primal landscape, imprinted on my senses, a place by which I measure every other place" (pg. 4).

My impression is that he felt taken away from this place that he loved and so he relates this feeling to that of refugees forced to leave their homelands because of persecution, poverty, or war. To make matters worse, this land in Ohio was dammed and turned into a reservoir. The landscape he once knew is gone. I can relate to that. The family farm where my great-grandparents grew acres and acres of grapes now has a highway running through it and is surrounded by strip malls.

Sanders believes that "there is only one power, one shaping urge, that infuses everything" (pg. 56). His idea of settling down includes realizing that we are dependent on others and the fruits of the land for our very existence. Becoming respectful and aware of our surroundings and those things that we depend on develops by spending time in a place.

Where Salmon Rushdie extols the benefits that come from the mingling of different peoples, cultures and ideas; Sanders argues that our transient nature often results in abuse of the land. He is not against exploring, but feels that we need to have an attitude of belonging to the land, as the Indians do. This attitude is what Wendell Berry calls "ecological intelligence" (pg. 16); where actions, words and values are based on the common good.

Finally, Sanders believes that we can recover our connection to the land by listening to the stories of our ancestors, who lived in harmony with nature. In his opinion, through sacred stories, we discover that all life is a gift and that God speaks through creation.

Having moved several times in my life, each place I have lived holds special memories. In each place I have grown in ways that I might not have if I had stayed where I was.

The places that I am least fond of are those where my attitude was not the best. For example, while in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for only a year and a half, I did not put much effort into developing connections in the community. My heart was back in the place we came from, where I left my birth family and my job. In addition, shortly after moving to Wisconsin we learned that we would be moving again, north of Chicago.

I believe that in our search for "home" we are all looking for that home inside of us where our true nature reside. We are looking for a place that accepts us as who we really are. Each of my moves has brought me closer to discovering that place.

During my early years in Indianapolis, I would have dreams about being away somewhere and not being able to get home. All kinds of things would happen to prevent me from getting where I wanted to go. I believe these dreams were very symbolic of what was going on in my life at that time.

I do agree with Sanders that it takes time and attention to really know a place, or a person for that matter. Being transient and never establishing ties to people or places is not something I would recommend. However, I do not believe that one needs to be rooted in one place their entire lifetime. What does matter is the attitude one brings to where you are. My view of the world is very much in line with the Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, who said,

"This spot where you sit is your own spot. It is on this very spot and in this very moment that you can become enlightened."

This looking involves a waiting, a mindfulness, and a reverence for the present moment.

Be aware, though, that if you do move and have made connections to a place, there will be a certain amount of grieving in the move. However, that place and those connections will always be a part of you.