City Mouse vs. Country Mouse

I'm home.

Not home, as in, "a place to sleep" but actually H-O-M-E.

People have had a hard time understanding why I've moved back to Jackson County when I've been living in Richmond these past several months, so I thought I would try to explain.

First, there is the obvious...its cheaper. True, it will cost more as far as gas is concerned, but other than that, it is a lot cheaper to live in Gray Hawk. I don't have to pay rent and I have a home of my own (albeit a tiny little thing) that I've been trying to fix up the past several years. I have bills outside of paying my rent and because I'm moving back, I've been able to pay off three of those bills. Its a great sense of accomplishment to be able to say I'm a little closer to being debt free. So yeah, its cheaper. The distance I have to travel to work and class kinda stinks, but I can live with it. I've done it for years, so I'm pretty sure its nothing I won't be able to handle for a while longer.

There are other reasons I moved back though.

I'm a small town kinda gal, I've discovered. In all my traveling, its the smaller towns that I enjoy visiting the most and when my travels are finished, its Gray Hawk that I enjoy coming back too. Living in Richmond was nice because it was convenient. I could walk to my favorite restaurants, go shopping at all hours of the night or day, it took five minutes to get to work, and thirty minutes to get to class. It was great for those reasons...but really, those were the only reasons it was great.

I thought when I moved to Richmond I would get to see the people I care about more often. I was wrong. Everyone has such busy lives (including me) and it was hard to get everyone together. I lived literally two minutes from my Goddaughter and yet I hardly ever saw her. My life centered around work and school. The only time I was actually at the apartment was when I was sleeping. Sad but true. Sure I had a couple of parties and I shared my futon with my cousin, Kayla, but otherwise, it was pretty lonesome. I'm quite shy and quiet in person, but as a general rule, I do like being in contact with people from time to time. Living in the apartment made me feel like a hermit. Someday I'd like to be a hermit living all alone in a cabin way back in a hollow somewhere, but that day isn't anytime in my near future. 

I like living in Gray Hawk. I have a love/hate relationship with Jackson County most days. There are things I hate about my hometown. I mean, I despise some things! But on the whole, I like it here. Its home. In all my time living in Richmond, I never called it home. It was always "the apartment" and when I came back to Jackson County on the weekends, I always told folks I was "going home."

I like that when I see people out, even people I don't really know, I can say 'Howdy" and they will say it back. I like that when there is a funeral procession driving by, people stop on the side of the road out of respect and wait for it to pass. I like that people wave at you when you meet them on the road, whether you know them or not. I like that people I know ask me how my family is when they talk to me and how that people I just met can look at me and know who "my people" are just by the shape of my nose or the way I smile. I like the feeling of being connected to people when they figure out that they went to high school with one of my cousins or used to work with my Mom or whatever the case may be.

Living in a small town can suck, don't get me wrong. People gossip about everything and everyone. If someone has a grudge against you, then you will hear about it for years and years. Certain families can't get along with other families. A lot of things are "political" in nature. There isn't a wide variety of places to shop or eat or have any other form of entertainment. There are brilliant people and there are ignorant people, and most of us fall somewhere in between. But you will find all those things in a lot of other places, at least at home, I KNOW where I stand with folks. I know who to avoid and who I can trust.

I like being able to open my windows and let in a cool breeze. I like that my cats can climb trees in my front yard and that Emmie can meow as loud as she wants and no one will tell me to get rid of her. I like that I can walk for miles down my road, by myself, at night and still feel safe. And while I'm walking there will be at least half a dozen people that know me that will stop and ask if I've had car trouble and need some help. I've had it happen lots of times. I like the trees and the flowers and the birds and all the other animals. These things I've missed since I moved to Richmond.

And I like that first glimpse of my family's "homeplace" when I drive over the hill. There is no prettier place in the world than that hillside when the sun is setting. No place.



So that's why I moved back. The catalyst may have been a cantankerous lying landlord, but in the end, its because this place makes me feel happy, safe, and loved. I couldn't ask for anything better than that.