Exile is like when you have a favorite playground, but the grown-ups say you can’t play there anymore. It’s not because you did something wrong, but because they decided it’s better for you to be somewhere else. Imagine your favorite stuffed animal had to stay behind too. You’d feel sad and miss it a lot, right? That’s kind of how people in exile feel.
Sometimes, being in exile is like being a bird whose nest is high up in a tree, but a strong wind blows it far away. The bird has to find a new tree and build a new nest. Even though the bird can still fly and sing, it misses its old home.
Think of exile as a big game of hide-and-seek where you’re the only one hiding, and everyone else forgot to find you. You’re in a new place, and it’s okay, but you really want to go back to where you started. People in exile often dream of returning to their original home, because that’s where their heart feels happiest.