Childhood Home
Visiting our childhood homes and schools we attended bring back so many memories. These memories are often clues to unlocking things that are holding us back even as mature adults. The afternoon of Day 2 of our cross-country trip was spent in Charleston, Il., my hometown. In fact the picture is of the house I lived in from birth to 19, much the same but it was white back then and seemed way bigger in my memories. Charleston is a quintessential midwestern town, with a town square with a court house in the middle. My dad’s law office was on the square right across from the court house. I remember things were not as rushed as they are now. My dad would always make time for coffee at the drugstore on the square with his friends.
Another key component of Charleston is Eastern Illinois University. I attended two years at Eastern, and then transferred to the University of Virginia, so I have not called Charleston home for 35 years. Even though I have been back several times, this trip took on more meaning as I had time to reflect on my childhood as an adult with many more experiences to draw on. I also was less distracted because I was not minding children or rushing off to reunion activities. The other visits were more about seeing people; this visit allowed me to take in the places and let the memories flood in.
It was fun to drive around and show Robert all of the schools I attended, the milestones, like my first kiss (8th grade at EL Krackers) and “traumas” I remember. One of my first “traumatic” memories was from kindergarten. For some reason the teacher did not get my permission slip for the field trip to see the babies in the hospital. I was devastated at having been left behind in my brother’s class. It is amazing how we remember such events because they are chemically imprinted due to intense emotions. I now realize that this story is about being left out, or separation. It played out many more times in my life with different characters and themes. It is my current belief that it is nature’s intelligence system bringing up something to be seen and healed, or at least neutralized. As humans, we all come in with core wounds to be healed. Separation is mine, according to my Gene Keys. Believe it or not, these “programs” or belief systems stay with us and play out until we can consciously be made aware and neutralize the event(s). Otherwise, this lower frequency vibe that is attached to us keeps us stuck in time, unable to reach our full potential and best life.
Contemplation and self-inquiry is key to seeing these patterns that keep us stuck. I love tools like the Gene Keys and others to understand the deeper parts of myself and unlock my potential. I am now guiding others through their unique Gene Keys profiles. Please contact me if you are interested in learning more or to book a session.
I am grateful to have visited Charleston again, remembered the good times (including how good Pagliai’s Pizza is) and gently let go of the not so good moments to help me move on in my current life. I came away feeling grateful to my parents for giving me the best life they could and this town for imbuing me with strong enough roots to grow into the person I am today.