Belonging

"Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room." - Harriet Beecher Stowe

I've never considered myself a homebody. When I was younger, I'd always planned on going to college far away (or at least Chicago), studying abroad, teaching English in Taiwan... none of those things panned out, but only because God forcibly (and against my stubborn will) led me elsewhere, and not due to a lack of interest.

I had a great childhood in Michigan (though my teenage years may have bordered on angsty) but I never felt any particular loyalty to my hometown and I wasn't at all surprised at my post-graduation decision to move six states away to a foreign city where I knew exactly one person (or two, depending on if you count TJ as a separate entity from his wife). Unlike my counterparts, Kristen and Hannah, who are so needy for human interaction that there were times when they literally couldn't let me nap for 20 minutes, I've never minded being alone (earning myself the nickname 'Hermit' in college, thanks to my penchant for locking myself in my room and generally refusing visitors). So I'm continually surprised at how much I miss my friends, family and my home.

Monroe is not a place I would recommend living. Situated halfway between Toledo and Detroit, cities with two of the crappiest reputations I've encountered, it doesn't have much to boast except a failing economy and a river that floods its banks every few years. Everything about it is, at best, mediocre. Honestly, unless you are writing your doctoral thesis on General George Custer (while not his birthplace, we do claim to be his boyhood home), I can't think of a single reason you would ever pack up and move your life to Monroe, MI.

In contrast, the residents of Greenville, where I currently live, love to say that they live "in the best place in the world". On the radio, in the supermarket line, during casual conversation- I really do hear this line once a week or so. And I can't really argue with them; Greenville does seem to have a Renaissance man kind of thing going. With mild winters, and gorgeous springs and falls, it's close to the coast, the mountains, and only a short drive from both Atlanta and Charlotte. In a few hours drive you can be surfing, snowboarding, hiking the Appalachian Trail, or taking in a show at the Fox. And beyond its convenient proximity, Greenville itself is both a big town and a small city, where you find yourself driving beyond someone you know on the highway, but you can get still buy Eagles tickets for the Bi-Lo Center downtown. The city seems to truly care about the happiness of its residents, and spends its time and money on things that improve the space, offering beautiful parks, extensive trails, and countless free entertainment opportunities.

All that being said, my heart is not really here. I do love Greenville, and I'll miss it when I eventually move away, but a big part of me really does just want to be back in Michigan. Monroe may be flatter than one of my dad's apple pancakes, its greatest draw the creepy castle off of Telegraph Road, and the most exciting thing happening on any given evening is probably the teenage outcasts swordfighting at Munson Park, but it's where I spent 22 years of my life and I really can't imagine ever calling another place "home".