A measure of the closeness.
I haven't been at home more than five years. Arrived here 12 hours ago. I still have the feeling that i'm dreaming, and it's a bad dream. The city looks fading, my house became smaller, my friends got older, they have children and unloved job, no fire in their eyes. New Malls, like in a big cities, once again highlights the poverty of the city, and destroy his individuality. I remember how hard it was to leave this place 11 years ago, I thought to come back with the first opportunity, because this is my home. You think that you will be able to return in any time.
First few years I tried to get back often, then once every six months, a year, and this break in 5 years finally.. Have you noticed that as an adult you suddenly come across on TV the movie that made an impression on you in childhood. You saw it only once, but all your next life you told everyone what a strong impression it made on you. For me it was the movie "it" by Stephen king. Probably about 20 years it seemed to me that this is the scariest movie I've ever seen. But I stumbled on it on TV year ago and decided to watch...I was not able to understand what I was so scared, I even sometimes laughed.
This also happens with some food. As a kid you had your favorite candy, then it disappeared from sale, but all your life you remembered the wonderful taste and compared it with all the other sweets that come across you in life, and they always lost. And here you suddenly found this candy again, after many years, and recognized that it is not so tasty.
Probably, the same feeling with people and places, when you are away from them for along time. You keep the image in your head of all the best that is associated with places and people. But when too much time goes by, and suddenly you meet again, you will understand: that people not so perfect and interesting, and places not so unique and native. Maybe this is to blame the time, maybe some changes in these people and places, and maybe you are. Closeness to something or someone is not measured by the miles, is measured by the years.