Every place has its downsides: Hurricanes. Crime. Floods. Droughts. Chiggers. Humidity. Ice. Snow. Heat. Expense. Ticks. Tornadoes. Mosquitoes. Earthquakes. Homelessness. Poverty. Sinkholes. Architectural sameness. Design diversity. Neighbors. Neighborhood. Cultural dullness. Etc.
What is the point of looking for the ideal place to live? It depends. There’s always a point. But it differs from person to person and period to period. Period to period? Yes, period to period. A person’s younger years may be a period in which he is seeking novelty…he may give priority during that time to design diversity. Later in life, the “perfect” place may be “weather-safe” or be a spot that is demographically similar. No matter a person’s age or position, the place she lives contributes as much to her happiness as almost any other factor. Whatever her priorities, the choice of home…neighborhood, region, neighborhood, etc…can be critically. important. Even country of residency can be crucial. Some say relationships matter more than anything else. Others say relationships survive distance and absence more successfully than a person’s happiness survives misery in place.
So? It’s on my mind. I am still wrestling with the issue, twenty years on. Trying to decide what matters most. And what follows. In what order.
Maybe I will never know. Or perhaps I have the answer already.
