You can't go home again, so why leave?

When I was in high school most of my thoughts of graduation were focused on the fact that I would finally be able to move away from Indiana. I had big plans, I was going to go to college in Boston and after that move out to Los Angeles to work in a recording studio. I thought I had it all figured out. So, why am I still living in Indiana? Well, despite popular opinion it’s not because I’m a loser and I couldn’t get out, quite the contrary. I want to live here.
Something about being a teenager makes you blind to your surroundings. I was focused on the things I didn’t like about Richmond; the limited number of recreational venues, a seeming lack of culture and the fact that I was born here. I thought that Richmond was a black hole in the middle of an otherwise interesting and fun country, I would move to any other city in the country and then, like magic, I would be submerged in a community that had a sense of culture and identity.
Since I graduated I’ve come to see Richmond as not only a home but a desirable home. The small town feel of Uptown Richmond, the surrounding countryside and the ability to sit in my backyard and talk with neighborhood kids are all examples of the things I love about this town. There’s a young boy that lives a couple of houes down from us in the alley named Froggy. He comes to the door every couple of days to see if our dog Pepper can come outside for a visit. Every time he knocks on the door I remember what I love about this town.
Are you feeling like you need to get out of Richmond? Do you think that moving to another town is going to give you something that Richmond doesn’t? If so I would encourage you to think of the things that you’ll be losing by moving away.