“Dad loves you.”
This is what I heard from my dad after he got drunk. It was quite unexpected, and my eyes became wet.
It was the Golden Week holiday in China, and my parents hosted a family reunion party at their apartment in Harbin, China – my home city. A few family members were there, and my cousin brought her two-month-old baby.
I called home from NYC when the party was over. I was speaking with my mom, but my dad grabbed the phone from my mom and started telling me when he was holding my cousin’s baby, he kept thinking of me. It reminded him of that once he had to take care of me when my mom went out, when I was one year old. I started crying – almost screaming according to him – and whatever he was doing failed to stop me. So, he came up with this “brilliant” idea: He covered me with a blanket and spun me around with his arms. I fell asleep soon.
I had heard the story before. It just made me laugh again.
“Dad loves you.” Here’s when these words came, and suddenly his tone became so serious.
“Think about it, how wonderful it would be if you were home with us,” he continued.
I’m the only child, chasing my dream in NYC, half a planet away from home.
At that moment, I was speechless. How I wished I could have superpower and show up at home in the next second!
Have you had similar feelings? At certain stages of your life, your sweet sweet home can’t give you the opportunity or experience needed to grow, so you have to seek it somewhere else, a different town or city or country. And, you have to balance personal dreams and family.
When my dad graduated from college, he made the opposite decision than I did. He chose not to take a job offer in Beijing; he went back to Harbin to take care of my grandparents. To most Chinese people back then, family was the No. 1 priority.
Today, things are different. This generation has bigger dreams and broader visions. Sometimes we have to put home in our hearts when we are pursuing dreams somewhere far away. But it is always a warm feeling that no matter where you go, home always leaves its door open for you, just like what my parents often say to me, “Come back home when you’re tired.”
“爸爸爱你。”
爸爸喝醉了以后，对我说了这样的话。这话来得很突然，于是，我的眼睛湿润了。
那是中国的黄金周，爸妈在我们哈尔滨的家里组织了一个家庭聚餐。几位亲戚到了我家，我堂姐带来了她两个月大的宝宝。
聚餐结束后，我从纽约给家里打了电话。我一开始在跟妈妈聊天，但爸爸从妈妈手里抢来话筒，开始跟我说当他抱着我堂姐的宝宝的时候，心里一直想着我。他想起了我一岁大的时候，有一次妈妈出门，把我留给他照顾。我哭了起来，他说基本是在大喊，无论他做什么都不能让我停下来。于是，他想出了一个“绝妙”的主意：他把我裹在一张被子里，抱起来不停地摇来摇去。我很快睡着了。
我以前听过这个故事。每次听到它我都会笑出来，这次也一样。
“爸爸爱你。”这时，我听到了这句，他的语气突然变得很深沉。
“你想一想，要是你在家跟我们在一起那多好呀。”他说道。
我是独生女，在离家半个地球以外的纽约追逐梦想。
那一瞬间，我说不出任何话来。我多希望我有超能力，下一秒钟就能飞回家出现在爸妈眼前！
你有过类似的感受吗？在你生命中的某些阶段，你幸福温馨的家不能提供你所需要的机会和经历使你成长，这时，你需要去其他地方追寻，一个不同的城镇、城市或国家。于是，你需要去找到个人梦想和家庭的平衡。
当我爸爸从大学毕业的时候，他做出与我相反的选择。他没有接受一份在北京的工作，而是回到了哈尔滨照顾双亲。那个时候，对大多数中国人来说，亲情排在第一位。
今天，一切都不同了。这代人有着更大的梦想和更广阔的视野。当我们在远方追梦时，我们只能把家放在心里。但无论你走到何处，家的门永远向你敞开，这是一种多么温暖的感觉，就像我爸妈经常对我说的，“累了的时候就回家。”