Thursday, July 10, 2014

Where is "home"?


My job is moving to Minneapolis. The question for me is - do I move with it? People move for jobs all the time. I travel quite frequently so moving around is nothing new to me. But this decision is bigger than that. It's more than a matter of traveling, moving around, not sitting still. It's a question of home.

The Boston area has always been my home. My schools have all been there, my jobs have all been there, most of my family and friends - my people - are there. It's my comfort zone. It would be a huge risk for me to pick up, on my own, and move to the mid-west. 

I'm on my way there now for a site tour. An opportunity to see the area as a potential new home. I've been to Minneapolis multiple times for work, but my experience there was limited to hotel-office-food-hotel-repeat. This weekend I'll be looking at things differently. Questions like "can I see myself living here?" and "can I see myself living here alone?" are going through my head. 

The idea of home is undefinable because it is defined so differently for everyone. I am focusing on what I feel is home for me. My favorite bookstore, my favorite pizza, seeing friends whenever I want. Routines and familiarity. Traveling helps break that up for me but it is comforting to know it's there when I return. I can make new routines and become familiar with new places, but do I want to? 

Stay tuned...I'll be making my decision soon.