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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Adventurer or Transient?


Where are you from? I've answered that question a million times in my lifetime. People always ask. As if the place you are from indentifies you immediately. It's possible that it does -- to an extent.


But that simple question has always been tough to answer. Now I say, "I moved here from Oklahoma City, but I'm FROM Texas." Yet, I haven't lived most of my adult life in Texas. I left at age 17 to move to Montana. I finished high school in Montana. Yet, I never say, "I'm from Montana." My parents live in Texas still, so I suppose we're always "from" the place our parents live -- or maybe not. Because that would confuse my children, since I've managed to live only one place longer than four years in the past two decades.


I lived in Oklahoma the longest -- 4 years, 9 months. I lived in Virginia for four years and in Okinawa, Japan for four years. I lived in Texas 2 years and 8 months the last go round -- not all in the same city. Ten long months in Odessa, and the rest in Amarillo.


When we decided to move this last time, sans jobs, sans a house, sans a reason -- other than wanting to live near our granddaughters for various reasons -- people looked at us and smiled. They seemed excited about our great adventure. We were adventerous.


Some folks, though, look at us as irresponsible -- transient. Why did you move? an interviewer asked, before declaring us "transients." What?! I prefer adventurous.

4 comments:

Scott said...

That would be "adventurer," not "adverterer." ;)

It's good to see you so happy with your new surroundings. I recall your commenting on my blog, many moons ago, about how you admired my being able to up and move to NYC to chase after my own goals. In your writing, you said that you doubted whether you'd be able to do the same.

And yet you uprooted your own life with few guarantees, and thus far, you seem quite satisfied with your decision. That, I think, is a vote in your favor. :)

As for where you're from, well, it's Florida! How many Florida natives have you met yet? Not many, I'll wager. ;)

Carmel said...

Scott: Hey, that's what spell check and "editors" are for...thanks.

I've thus far met 1 person "from" Florida. We went drinking at one of the local watering holes, and having had a little too much of the local "water" decided to strike up a conversation with the most non-touristy person in the room. His grandfather was one of the original pirates in Madeira Beach. Other than that, everyone else seems to hail from Michigan, New Jersey, New York or OHIO.

I currently live in Florida. I'm not FROM Florida. :)

Gina said...

C.: I hear ya!

I was born in Pennsylvania. Moved to Ohio when I was 4 and Tennessee when I was 6. On to Minnesota (Twin Cities) at age 10, and Duluth at age 12. Off to college in Missouri at age 17, with Duluth as my "permanent address."

And then, suburban New York, Colorado and New Jersey over a span of 13 years. I've now lived in New Jersey longer than I've lived anywhere else (seven years this October!), but I'd never say I'm from here — I'm not. When people ask, I usually say I'm from Minnesota, because that's where I lived the longest before leaving home. But I'm quick to add that I've lived in many other states as well. And when people asked whether I ever wish I'd been able to grow up and stay in one part of the country, I say, "No way!" I wouldn't trade my experience, good and bad, for anything. My family feels the same way. We're adventurers, too. :)

Enjoy *your* adventure!! Life is all about choices, and you've made a choice that's right for you.

Gina said...

Whoops. Make that "over a span of 12 years." See, everybody needs an editor! ;)