I'm reading a book right now about a woman who lives in Nantucket, and has a reluctance to travel away from it...almost to the point of being somewhat agoraphobic.
The other night I dreamed about birds. I saw parrots, and suddenly remembered we were now living in Australia. The feeling I had in the dream was a mixture of relief, contentment, and excitement.
So, it's all gotten me thinking about people who love places.
There are people like me who love places in which they don't live and which it is a challenge to visit. I've even met my counterparts—Australians in love with Texas.
Then there are people like the one in the book. They love where they live.
Do we each have a special place that's ours to love, and it's a matter of luck and circumstance whether we get to live there or not?
What if I lived in Australia, and the Australian-Texas fans moved to Texas? Would we all feel like we're in paradise? Would we feel the way I felt in my recent dream?
What about the people who love where they live? For example, I know some Australian bloggers who are huge fans of Australia. What would they be like if they didn't live in Australia? What if they never lived there? Would they become weird fans, loving it from afar, like I do? What if they did live there but were forced to move? Would they be devastated?
OR is it about personality? Do I love Australia because I don't live there? Do I have the type of personality that makes me long for what I don't have? If I lived in Australia, would I be longing for Texas? Would I be the Weird Australian Who's Obsessed with Texas?
And the Australian bloggers. Are they the type of people to find contentment wherever they are? If they happened to be born in Finland, would they have loved that as much as Australia?
What do you think?
And do you love where you live? Or do you love another place more?
I personally would like to believe there's a special place (or a couple of them, maybe) for each of us. And we find a way to feel and express that love whether we get to live there or not. Otherwise...if it's the other thing; then the world is divided up into the grateful and then us pathetic folks who always imagine the grass is greener on the other side. Blah. I don't like that idea.
There was a young man from Nantucket, as the limerick went.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of living in Europe or England as a rich person, but really I quite like Melbourne. She is easy and familiar. With some apprehension, I am looking forward to seeing New York, and especially how comfortable I feel and if it feels familiar at all. As is said though, New York is not America, quite a bit more diverse than Australia. Visit Texas? What is the walkability score of Texan cities, upon which I judge areas within cities?
I think you'll find New York is like Melbourne and other big cities you've visited.
ReplyDeleteFrom my personal experience, Texas has an awful walkability score. Although if you stayed in a downtown/CBD type area, there will be walking areas.
Just found this article that says Dallas/Fort Worth is one of the worst cities for walking. http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/2014/06/study-dallas-is-one-of-the-worst-walkable-urban-cities-in-the-country-but-doesnt-have-to-be.html/
There are other cities in Texas though. Maybe Houston is better.