After reading this post by Chelsea last week, the part about loving where you live stayed with me. My husband and I often discuss where we’ve lived and whether we are where we truly want to be. He is used to moving around every few years since he was in the military. I have lived in a bunch of places (Penn State, Barcelona, Chicago, Hawaii) but home is and always has been NYC.
So when we talk about whether we should stay here or move to a hotter city by the beach, or whether we should stay put, it’s always a debate. I often ask myself: Am I happy here? Do I love where I live? The short, easy answer: Yes. And while it’s more complicated that that, I think holding onto what I do love is most important.
Because what good would it be to dwell on the negatives? After all, no matter where I’ve lived there have been things I didn’t like. At Penn State, I couldn’t find Spanish food ingredients. In Barcelona, I was the most homesick I’ve ever been, which I suppose is normal after moving to a foreign city I’d never before visited. In Hawaii, I felt so far away and isolated from the rest of the world. In Chicago, I was lonely without my husband (for a year) but then still really missed my family and best friends when he did join me… I did love each of those places more than I disliked any one thing, though, so there’s that.
No matter where I’ve been (whether it be a a physical place or a stage in life),I’ve learned that loving where I am makes me happy to be there. Now that I’m a mom, having and giving off positive energy is more important than ever. I wouldn’t want my child(ren) to resent where we live based on fleeting negative opinions of mine.
Basically, we’re here, I love that we are, and I really do want to appreciate it (especially, because I know “the grass is always greener on the other side” rings true). So after reading Chelsea’s post, I did some thinking and realized I need to be outside and exploring parts of the city I like more. I was pretty intentional this weekend about our plans. We took advantage of the nice weather and we spent time exploring outside at the park and in DUMBO, a super cute (and recently popular) area in Brooklyn with a view of Manhattan.
And let me tell you, it made me fall in love with the city we call home all over again.
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It's so important to love where you live. We live in a not so desirable area (most in the army would say it's the worst) but we love our small town life here.